Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Acaed 06-19-03, 09:44 PM	This is a sci-fi/futuristic setting story that takes place in, obviously, the future. How far? I do not know. The Mira has come into the port moon of Derya, Klas'niya. The ship looks quite antique, but the Captain of the ship, as he sits in the bar, looks young, yet experienced. He recently lost some money in a wager, the rumors say, and his crew left him. He then came into a great deal of money and is seeking to hire crew for a run to solar system number nine, the most decrepid of the solar systems, one the Universe Federation has let moulder and lie in ruin. The Captain sits in the tavern of Klas'niya, The Dancing Bee, and waits for potential crew members to approach him. ((If anyone needs more information, let me know at aseal0105@mail.com, thanks!))
Traveler 06-20-03, 11:49 AM	All she wanted was to go home. ...has honored her commision these two score years with courage and dedication... She was tired. ...honorably dishcharged... She missed her family. ...will receive all the benefits...retired officer It was enough. She walked into the bar in comfortable old officer's fatigues, her bag slung over her shoulder. Her long silver hair unbound. No rank insignia was displayed on her shoulder. She wore earrings once again, after the tradition of her people. No one could tell her not to anymore. ..."I can get you back to Klas' niya," the young commander smiled. "Go to a bar called the dancing bee, there will be pleanty of..." Ships for hire...she knew the sort, and this sort of place. She glanced around, wearily....hmm...promising... noting any who might be ship pilots.... She would begin inquiries...after treating herself to a good stiff drink. She went to the bar and sat down, sparing a polite smile for the young fellow next to whom she had happened to sit.
Jordan Task 06-21-03, 03:23 AM	Sitting at a table in a quiet corner of the bar, and apparently smoking is a large human in black combat fatigues. From where he sits, he can survey the entire cantina without turning his head more than a few degrees. He is tall, well built, and wearing a pair of mirrored shades. Any who spare him more than a passing glance realize that he is a soldier....a highly experienced one if appearances are correct. From the way he holds himself, to the scarring that appears all over his face and exposed arms. The black hair at his temples is graying, and he bears a tattoo on his right arm that identifies him as belonging to Special Forces. A small arsenal sits on the table in front of him, consisting of a large rifle, three pistols, half a dozen knives, a garotte, a collapsible club and nearly a dozen grenades. He peels a piece of fruit with one of the knives, which is so sharp that only the skin of the fruit is removed. A waitress places a drink in front of him on the table, giving him a wide berth as she does so. He glaces up at her with a humorless expression, and nods his thanks. He places a several credit notes on the table, twice the cost of his drink, which he scans with a small device he pulls out of a pocket before tasting. He watches the two soldiers, the officer and the one in fatigues, with a slight bit of interest for a moment, before glacing down at the piece of fruit with disinterest. He wipes the knife off and resheathes it before taking another sip of his drink.
Acaed 06-21-03, 09:34 PM	((Notice: I will be gone for a week, and will resume this thread upon my return. Thanks for understanding! Please be patient!))
Acaed 06-29-03, 03:15 PM	((And I'm back! And waiting for more players...))
AstrineNastril 06-29-03, 10:59 PM	*The young girl walks into the bar with bag slug over one shoulder and a bit of a nervous look on her face. Despite her seemingly obvious lack of experience in situations and places such as these, she tries to keep a weak smile on her face, until she notices a few people looking at her. Her smile then drops, but she keeps a frown from her face by just her personality and reflex. Blinking away the unpleasant thoughts, she looks down at her data pad and rereads something. She then looks up and starts scanning faces, comparing those to something on the pad. Seeing the young man at the bar, she stops and looks from him to the pad a few times. After making sure, she moves through towards the bar by a path where she won't disrupt anyone, stopping one or twice to let a server pass. Upon reaching the bar, she takes a seat one away from the man. She smiles to the man before doing something on her data pad. After a few moments, she puts away the data pad, slides the pack off her shoulder and walks over to the man. Setting down her pack on the floor, she takes off her glove and extends her hand with a smile and says* "Hello, I'm Astrine Nastril. And you would be?"
Acaed 06-30-03, 02:06 PM	Reply to Astrine Nastril: "Who am I? I am Captain Vargas of the Mira, rcenty docked at this port. I seek crew members, inexperienced or experienced, to assist me with my ship." This, Captain Vargas says not just to Astrine Nastril, but to the other woman next to him, the man in the corner, and to everyone else in The Dancing Bee.
AstrineNastril 06-30-03, 02:38 PM	"Well, it's nice to meet you Captain Vargas. I happen to be looking for a short term posistion at the moment. I wonder if you would hire me as a Science, Tech, and/or Com officer? I'm just looking for a good place where I can help out."
Traveler 06-30-03, 05:47 PM	The Mira? What? She glanced up from her glass of Belnean Amber at the announcement. Oh...a captain (?) looking for a crew...how very amusing... A slow grin stole over her worn and much lined countenance. Not to mention suspicious... Taking another swallow of drink, she actually bothered to look at the man she had happened to sit next to. "Which way you goin'?" She half teased, not bothering to hide her Kellenan dialect. Something else she no longer had to do.
Acaed 06-30-03, 11:07 PM	"Yes, miss, we could use a comm officer. Allow me to reply to this ex-military officer beside me, and then we can discuss further." To ((Traveler)): "Which way am I going? From Klas'niya to Progenan with a cargo of drangon."
AstrineNastril 06-30-03, 11:14 PM	*Astrine nods with a smile of respect, a little wider then her normal one due to more then one reason* "Yes, thank you" *Astrine politely orders a surge and waits for Captain Vargas to finish with the other woman, not even listening in on the conversation, though she notes the cargo and any traces generally refering to the ship and matters so the captain won't have to repeat himself.*
Traveler 06-30-03, 11:31 PM	That works... "Friendly sector," she remarked with a smirk. She stood, taking her drink and raised it to him slightly. "Catch y'later." That's one....time to sail the circuit... With that she turned and started to walk around the room, making light conversation...
Acaed 06-30-03, 11:39 PM	As the woman walks away, Captain Vargas relizes he's about to lose a very good potential first mate for the ship, so... "And it pays 1000000 in universals a day," he casually remarks. ((Once I get more players, I will fully explain all of the specs of this homebrew universe, but suffice to say most business tycoons don't see 1000000 universals in their entire lifetimes, much less per day for as long as two months...))
AstrineNastril 07-01-03, 12:03 AM	*extremely unusual for Astrine, she spits out her drink partly into the cup, partly out her nose, and the majority onto the bar. Apologizing, she quickly wipes up the spill with a few napkins and a nearby bar rag. She sees to the bar, the glass, then to her face, in that order. She finishes by blowing her nose in napkin she used for her face and by leaning over the bar and disposing of all the napkins in a waste receptacle. She mutters to herself as she finishes her apologies, her spoken thoughts trailing into normal thoughts with a few words and phrases mouthed.* "I don't make that much in a month, including battle pay... and that's almost a week for a high central command officer... Hmm... I could get a personal transport cruiser for a couple runs... Nah. I'd be better saving it. I'll give some of it to a refuge fund and pool the rest with Sierra and the rest... Take a week long girls night out" *smiles to herself* "Well, pool some of it." *Astrine returns to her drink*
Traveler 07-01-03, 01:32 AM	After talking to several pilots, she discovered none were going quite so directly her way...and then she heard what Vargas was paying... Blessed Soulking!...What in the universe is this guy about?! "You ok lady?" the particular pilot with whom she had been chatting asked in response to her sudden, seemingly inexplicable change of expression. "Yeah, 'course," she answered, finishing her drink. "'scuse me." She returned to the bar and sat down. She studied captain Vargas. She ordered another drink. She started thinking. "Thas a mighty high sum, young man," she ventured...or rather heard herself say.
Acaed 07-01-03, 11:12 AM	To (Traveler): "Indeed it is, young lady. That, and I'm willing to pay more upon the sucessful transport of the drangon." He turns to Astrine: "May I have the wonderful assumption that you will be joining me on my ship as the Comm Officer, miss?"
AstrineNastril 07-01-03, 05:10 PM	*turns to Captain Vargas with a smile* "Yes, if you'll have me. I must ask a few things, though. I have not heard of drangon. What is it? I am also a bit surprised that you have not asked for credentials, especially with me. I don't know that many captains that would just hire a fifteen-year-old that they don't know without a second thought. Finally, I wonder how much storage room for personal and work related gear I am allowed and whether I can use some of my own gear. Oh, and one last thing... do you need a security officer, because I might know someone..." [edit: added clarification of last sentence and rewording]
Acaed 07-01-03, 11:27 PM	"Drangon is a type of radioactive material that is left when a thermo-nuclear blast occurs in space. I assure you, it is quite legal to carry and it is quite safe." He pauses to take a drink of water, then continues: "And, I have not asked for credentials...because you have not asked for mine. I have a no questions asked policy. Storage room? Bring as much as you want, but I'm sure you'll find the Mira very well equipped.
AstrineNastril 07-02-03, 12:26 AM	*Thinks for a moment* "Good, and I've got some radiation training and gear. I like to use some of my own gear. I have some custom military grade stuff from one of my former posistions. Where and when do you want me, then?"
Jordan Task 07-02-03, 03:49 AM	Raises an eyebrow when the fleet officer mentions how much he is paying, You gotta be jokin'....... D'you 'onestly expect anyone to sign on with you while y'er making such ridiculous offers? 1000000 a day. Ya' I believe that. How many galactic defense forces're we gonna haf'ta anihilate every day for that kinda scrip? Man.....I was a Spec Ops Officer.....not some choob footsoldier. Full bloody Colonel. The highest rank ANY Spec Ops trooper has ever achieved. Including combat pay, hazard bay and benefits I figure I cleared roughly 8000 a MONTH. You haven't gotta bloody CLUE how to recruit a crew, have you?
Acaed 07-02-03, 10:43 AM	Listen, bub. ((This is aimed at Jordan Task)) I recently came into a lot of money. I need this cargo of drangon shipped. Also, I'm being sponsored by the Yaeops Government. They're paying the per day salary, and I'm paying the end-of-trip money, okay? And if you don't believe me...here." Captain Vargas tosses a packet to (Jordan Task). Almost immediately, several men from all around the bar leap for the packet. Captain Vargas calmly pulls a Glock Mk II from his back pocket, and puts a slug into the head of the lead man, which falls to the floor, head missing. The rest of the men look at Vargas, and slowly return to their seats. When Jordan Task opens the packet, he can see it is a document from the Yaeops Government, allowing the Mira to carry drangon, and...to pay its crew the large, tidy, aforementioned sum.
[tdr]darkdragon 07-02-03, 11:10 AM	A tall, lanky man who appears to be about twenty-eight sitting at a table nearby the captain takes notice of the packet. Looking over Task's shoulder, he raises his eyebrows impressedly. He sticks his hand in the general direction of the captain. "Lookin for some officers, I hear. The name's John. Thirty years of combat experience, fifteen of which were space combat missions. I can fill most any position, except for chaplain. Interested?"
Jordan Task 07-02-03, 12:15 PM	Nice shot. I woulda aimed just a little higher though...... Why would the Yaeops government want this stuff so bad that they'd pay THAT much for it? It's not that hard to get. Why not just detonate a couple Nukes themselves and collect the stuff? Unless....this shipment is a decoy for something else......
Acaed 07-02-03, 04:02 PM	"No, No, good sir, you misinterpret me. Have you not been following the war in Sector 14? The Yaeops government just ended a war with the Rangar anarchists. They've hired I and my ship to deliver the drangon to a safe dump site on Progenan." The captain responds to John: "Excellent. We could use a tactician. Surely all of you know that Progenan is a warzone? Even ebing a dump vessel as we are, we could be attacked by anarchists."
Jordan Task 07-02-03, 05:03 PM	Sure I' been followin' tha' war. I was in it. I got myself "downsized" when it ended. Honorable discharge, military pension, gag order, an' a nice little warning from Yaeops Military Intel boys that they would arrange a little "accident" if I ever felt tha' need ta discuss my involvement in tha war. All that an' a charmin' li'l retirement party to boot. Still....a million a day.....that's a lotta cheese. What kinda resistance d'ya think yer lookin' at fer that kinda cheddar?
Acaed 07-02-03, 08:04 PM	"Resistance? None. It's a demilitarized zone, so no one should bother a tiny dump vessel heading for Progenan."
AstrineNastril 07-02-03, 08:54 PM	*Astrine winces when Captain Vargas shoot the man and looks at the corpse with a bit of distain. She then shifts her attention to the conversation, waiting politily for a short break so Captain Vargas can answer her.*
Acaed 07-02-03, 10:51 PM	To Astrine Nastril: "Be onboard in three days, please, miss."
Traveler 07-03-03, 05:16 PM	Young lady?! It was all she could do to not to bust out laughing. She turned back to her drink instead. Money did not interest her a bit. She only half listened to the conversation around her. She drank...and day dreamed of home...her grandchildren...her sons...her daughters...and Kas... Her boney hand, spotted with age, trembled slightly as she lifted her glass. Kas....I am coming home... Oh, did she miss her Kas. "So, Vargas," she said hoarsely and disguised it in a cough. "How much would you charge for a passenger?"
Acaed 07-03-03, 05:18 PM	"Passengers? The Mira is not that big of a ship, I'm nopt sure we'd be able to spare a bunk...plus, you'd have to pull your weight, do matienence, and such. You look like an ex-military type, what did you do in the army?"
Traveler 07-03-03, 05:27 PM	She laughed and pushed yet another errant wisp of silver hair out from in front of her grey green eyes. Her other hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her old insignia, it was engraved, there was no question as to who they belonged to. "Fleet Admiral Ariya Mas'Kithe. Retired." She extended her hand.
Acaed 07-03-03, 05:32 PM	"A Fleet Admiral? Interesting...and retired? I thought those positions were for life...unless you misbehaved? Were you 'honorably discharged'? Ah well. It does not matter. We could use a good gunner on board...or a First Mate."
Traveler 07-03-03, 05:44 PM	She smiled a wry smile. "To be an admiral is to be retired," her dry old voice was heavy with sarcasm. "I took a new comission ten years ago, weaponeers (mistranslates the word) track. I was honorably discharged...service time up, last week. I am going home." She sighed. "And if that means I'm gonna be riding shot gun with ya..." She paused as if thinking. "...then so be it." What the hell? Why not? It might be fun... "I'll be your first mate. " She smirked. "I'll be yer gunner to if y'can't find another."
Acaed 07-03-03, 05:49 PM	"Excellent!" The Captain smiles a little. "That's a first mate, a comm officer, and a gunner, perhaps,...(he notes, looking at Jordan Task.)"
[tdr]darkdragon 07-03-03, 06:59 PM	What position'll I be fillin'?
Acaed 07-03-03, 09:45 PM	"Well, John, how are you at being a mechanic?"
[tdr]darkdragon 07-03-03, 09:55 PM	Honestly? Crap. I can do it, but you'd probably be able to find much better ones, especially for the amount of cred you're flashing. I'd be better as a tactician.
Acaed 07-03-03, 10:14 PM	"Better yet: How's quartermaster sound to you? We don't have many weapons, but those we do will need to be cared for."
AstrineNastril 07-03-03, 11:23 PM	*Astrine looks at Captain Vargas for a moment, then waiting for a break in the conversation, she asks* "Excuse me, but which dock number and do you know where I can find a holonet access port or com station?"
Traveler 07-04-03, 12:51 AM	She finished the amber liquid in her glass, studying the insignia in her hand. She smiled. She could just see it... Allright Janey...a new story...Did you knwo your old grandma was fist mate on a pirate ship?... Her grin widened. Oh yes what a story this would make. The trip would be quite uneventful of course, she would see to that. Right before the system Vargas had named was the Embitar system and the third planet had a moon, Simbi. From there is would be easy to get direct passage home... They would drop her off there. Kas I am coming...
Jordan Task 07-04-03, 07:17 AM	A million a day, huh? Hmm....... His brow creases as though he is in deep thought..... I'm gonna say this ONCE jus' ta get it outta tha way.....if'n you ain't on the level.....if yer thinkin' yer gonna take this geyser for a ride, think again. As fer me, lets see.....I'm former special forces. I have trainin' on pretty much any type of spacecraft from fighters on all the way up to capital cruisers....I'm a qualified gunner, pilot, field medic, and I know a little 'bout maintainace work. I have training in land based, aquatic and spaceborne demolitions, including the use and disposal of NBC weapons. I'm accomplished in thirteen different forms of martial arts, as well as dozens of close combat weapons and techniques. I've got expert marksman status with just about any ranged weapon you can put in my hands. I've even been through sniper school. I speak nearly twelve differnt languages, and I can pass myself off as a native of about sixty-five human inhabited star systems.......Oh, and prior to attending officer school I graduated from the University of Yaeops, District Three Campus with a degree in Xenobiology. If you wanna know anything else, yer gonna hafta ask. As far as what position ya want me ta fill, that's yer decision.
Acaed 07-04-03, 07:40 PM	"Even better, Mr...uh..."
Jordan Task 07-04-03, 09:29 PM	Colonel Jordan Task, Yaeops Defense Forces, 83rd Reconaissance Division, Retired. He extends a large hand, pleased to make yer aquaintance, Captain.....?
Acaed 07-04-03, 10:10 PM	"Men call me Vargas, Col. Task. To you, it would be Grand Admiral Weste Vargas, High Commander of the Una, Head of the 1t Division of the Yaeops Fleet." "...Retired," he adds, with a laugh. "Well, we seem to be assembling a right great crew. I will let you all go now, but be at Dock 3B in three days' time to head out. Here is a thousnad in advance to allow you to equip your selves properly...I'm afraid the Mira has little in the way of foodstuffs left."
Acaed 07-04-03, 11:19 PM	Now, I will introduce the specs of this homebrew universe. Probably what you've all been waiting for, heh. First, where eveyone is: Klas'niya, the port moon of Derya. Derya is a small planet in the Dizznan Galaxy, just a hundred light years away from the Andromeda Galaxy, which is close to the old Milkyway Galaxy. ((Which is near the Snickers Galaxy...yum.)) Klas'niya is one of five moons of Derya, but the most widely known and frequented. It is a small moon, about the size of the Moon of Old Earth. This setting is in the future, about 2800 AD, but not much has changed. There are no laser guns, no blasters, etc. 'Modern' guns ((guns of our time, now)) are what exists, except in somewhat modified forms. They are faster, and more powerful. Also, they have been able to be created to work in the 0g of space, so you can imagine how powerful they must be. Spacecraft exist, but are expensive, so most people either inherit one or save up to buy one. That does not mean there aren't lots of spacecraft, though. Just not eveyone has one. Humans are the only intelligent life in the universe. As of yet, no alien races have been discovered. Humans, as humans are wont to do, have spread across the universe, multiplying like rabbits. Many, many governments have been set up, and, at one time, the Yaeops government was the single government of the universe. It was a fair, just government, ((not unlike the rebels in the Star Wars series)) but then anarchists from within the government broke it up, and, to this day, Yaeops only controls about half of the galaxys in the universe; the rest are war zones, in the hands of feudal-like warlords, or worse. The Yaeops government is in the process of waging different wars against certain galaxies in order to return the universe to peace. The principle of conquer-one-galaxy-then-use-its-resources-to-conquer-another seems to be working. The anarchists, however, have set up a rival government....but not much is known about it at this time.
Acaed 07-04-03, 11:20 PM	Day One: ((You may do as you please, and I will DM. There is a large market on Klas'niya, along with an auction house, a weapons market, and if you look hard enough, a black market...of course, as the standard, there's plenty of seedy little bars and taverns on Klas'niya, too.))
Jordan Task 07-05-03, 12:49 AM	Well, Admiral, it seems that we've got us a distinguished crew here. Anybody who needs personal weapons can get some from me. I've got a cache stashed elsewhere on this station, just ask for what ya need......If yer lookin' for a specific weapon...I can probably get it.
Acaed 07-05-03, 09:57 PM	"Please, Mr. Task. Call me Vargas. I'm no longer an Admiral."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-05-03, 10:32 PM	*A young man approaches the captain, in his early twenties with a black head of hair. Dark glasses conceal his eye color, although if he had to guess, they'd be green. A silver necklace resembles the likeness of a butterfly and there's no particular insignia, meaning he's a free agent.* "Captain, now, I wasn't eavesdropping in your conversation per se, but I recall you speaking of looking for members. My former crew was killed as I was waiting for their return, so I was hoping to join with a new crew. I have no real-life battle experience but from target practice and mock fights, my quality surpasses most of my peers. All I need is a ship to travel on and money to sustain myself for now. The name's Yat Pariker and I'm for hire."
Acaed 07-05-03, 11:08 PM	"Of course, Mr...uh..."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-06-03, 10:53 AM	"Mr. Pariker." *He's also carrying a large case.* "I've already got my weapons and gear...I was hoping that they would come in handy with my old crew but..." Quiet. Change the subject. "Uh, right...do you know where we are headed?"
Acaed 07-06-03, 12:01 PM	"Progenan, to dump drangon from the Yaeops' latest war."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-06-03, 01:38 PM	"Sounds good to me." Great...out of all of the places...
AstrineNastril 07-07-03, 12:13 AM	*Astrine comes running up. She is wearing form fitting but not revealing clothes with a pink top and sky blue pants that just meet at her mid section. A black leather jacket that flops around heavily is over this and has two or three shoulder patches. On her feet are just short of bulky metal boots that are almost platforms with two comparatively large snap buckles. Her pink hair is pulled into a tight ponytail that flops behind her but doesn't loose its shape. Over her shoulder is two-foot military-like pack with her arm through the strap and pulling it tight to her back. A second, eighteen-inch pack in a different style but the same material with metal clips on the outside is firmly clipped to the larger one. Her other hand holds a data pad* "Sorry I'm late. Five room mates, one ship, and everyone with a place to go. Hope I didn't miss anything."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-07-03, 07:54 PM	"I don't think so...have we met? I'm Yat Pariker and I'm just another room mate. Oh, and don't touch the box, I don't want it disturbed by anything short of customs."
Acaed 07-07-03, 09:01 PM	"Ms.Nastril! How good of you to join me on this fine day in the Dancing Bee. However, you still have two days until we take off. I am staying here, at the DB, as to see if I can attract more crewmembers."
Jordan Task 07-08-03, 06:53 AM	I'm staying here to see how much more I can drink!!:D .....before they throw me out........
Acaed 07-08-03, 12:09 PM	The first day ends...the second dawns. DAY TWO: Vargas can still be found in the Dancing Bee.
AstrineNastril 07-08-03, 12:45 PM	((sorry for looking back a bit)) *Astrine looks a little sheepish and checks something on her data pad. After pressing a button, she mutters* "I'm gonna kill her..." *She wanders off to make other arrangements* *Stepping out of lodging house where she spent the night, minus her bulky packs and plus a day pack, she passes the owner a few credits, including a few extra and a decent sized tip, saying* "Sorry about that guy last night, but I'm not one who likes unwelcome midnight visitors, much less callers. Thank you for your hospitality" *She rummages through her pack, finding a few extra credits and transfering them to her jacket pocket. After securing her pack, she heads for the markets to browse the local wares. Noteworth among her purchases are samplings of various types of bullets and explosives*
Carefree Butterfly* 07-08-03, 01:31 PM	*In a small backroom of the DB, rented out by Yat Pariker. The case is open. Inside is what appears to be some clothes, 10,000 credits, books, and a small terrarium.* Everything appears to be in check. But what's with this? The ship is headed in the opposite direction of my destination plus there's the Anarchists...there I go...worrying again. Everything's going to turn out for the best...
Acaed 07-09-03, 11:34 PM	((Seeing as no one has anything to add, here we go!)) DAY THREE: Vargas is not at the bar, in the early morning. He is probably at the docking bay for the Mira, docking bay 3B. He is waiting...
AstrineNastril 07-10-03, 12:42 AM	*Astrine walks into dock 3B early, but at least a short while after Vargas. She is wearing a formal and functional looking jumpsuit with a shoulder patch on her right and a flag on her left. Over her chest on the left is a name tag saying "Astrine Nastril", but there seems to be some extra space to the left of her name. Her pack is secured over her right shoulder and her jacket with a similar patch is carefully wraped around the pack. She walks up to Captain Vargas and gives a crisp military salute and says* "Captain, Astrine Nastril, communication officer, reporting for duty sir." *She returns to an at ease posistion and says* "Sorry, force of habit."
Jordan Task 07-10-03, 06:45 AM	Enters the docking bay holding his head. You notice that he has increased the size of his arsenal significantly since you last saw him in the bar. He now visibly carries a half dozen pistols, three rifles slung over one sholder, two submachine guns slung over the other. The combat harnass he now wears is heavily burdened with a dozen knives, a garrote, a collapsible club, and numerous grenades of various types. Pouches hold dozens of spare magazines and various small survival tools. A pair of multi-optic goggles straddles the top of his head, attached to his combat helmet and a small microphone arcs out in front of his face from the built in comm system. He carries a large black backpack and a smaller chrome briefcase as well as a long, black rectangular case that looks like it might contain (surprise!) another rifle. Oh....man.....I REALLY wish I'd decided NOT to have that las' drink. Happy hour ended for me when I woke up an hour ago. Reportin' for duty, Captain.
nick012000 07-10-03, 08:47 AM	A huge figure walks in. 8' tall, and built like a truck, he wears a suit of power armour that makes him seem even bigger. He weilds a large, pistol-gripped rifle in one hand, and a chain-bladed sword in the other. "You still acceptin' recruits?" he asks. (OOC: can i play? btw, how fast do these ships go? you'de need to basically instantly teleport, ala Isaac Asimov's foundation series, to get between galaxies in any acceptable time-frame.)
Carefree Butterfly* 07-10-03, 10:23 AM	*Yat Pariker is looking the same as ever, except with a black t-shirt rather than a blue one, navy-blue jacket, and dark brown pants. He still has his large steel case. A machine pistol is slightly concealed on his hip holster.* "Here I am." *Yat notices the figure in power armor.* "Whoa! You sure he'll fit in the ship?" he says with a light-hearted tone. *Notices Task's arsenal.* "Whoa!" *Looks at his own machine pistol, another pistol, and high-frequency short sword.* Is the job going to require more weapons? Maybe...
Acaed 07-10-03, 11:09 AM	The Mira is not a gigantic ship, but large enough. It takes up all of dock 3B, with a little room to the left side, where the door and Vargas are. The captain, leaning against his ships' hull, greets all of the crew with a smile. Astrine: "At ease, Miss." nick012000: "Yes, we are still accepting recruits. You are welcome to join us." Task: "Task! For Christ's sake, I didn't tell you to empty all of Yaeops' weapons larder! Geth those in to the ship, and take a load off!" The ship hatch opens, and Task may procede inside. Yat: "Good day to you, Mr.Pariker." To all: "Are we ready to go? No...we are missing one of our crewmates...Ariya. The firstmate is not here yet. Ah well. Everyone, you may go inside and explore a bit, find your bunk, the mess hall, etc." The captain moves out of the doorway to let evertone pass. "I will wait here for our tardy first mate." ((And no, nick012000, these ships do not have 'instant' warp features. They make well use of the worm hole theory, however. :-) ))
Carefree Butterfly* 07-10-03, 12:13 PM	*Yat enters the bunk room.* "Huh. Better than my last ship." *Yat opens the large steel case, pulls out the small terrarium and places it beneath his bunk. Closes the steel case and also puts that beneath the bunk.* After the assignment, I need to find a way back...hmmm...
AstrineNastril 07-10-03, 12:44 PM	*Astrine takes her pack off with a little difficultly and sets it on her bunk. The padding on the bunk sinks down quite a bit. Opening her storage area and brushing it out with a small hand brush from her pack, she proceeds to store her smaller pack in the area, then opens the larger one and moves her neatly folded, if not compressed clothes into the space. She then puts a small bag into a corner. With a little space left, she folds her jacket and places it in, filling all but a tiny corner. She then brushes off her bunk and sets a small bedroll on it. Tossing the brush into the smaller back, she closes the larger pack and her storage space. Swinging the now slightly lighter pack on her back, she walks over to Task. Looking at the walking armory, she says.* "Nice. You remind me of my last employer, or at least one of my room mates. Do you know where I should check mine in?"
Jordan Task 07-10-03, 03:25 PM	Enters the bunk area, setting down his gear on the floor. He stows his weapons, then sets up his bedroll. From one of his pockets, he produces an old photograph of a group of soldiers posing with weapons. From out of the briefcase, he draws a large picture frame with 17 medals arranged in neat little rows. He wipes the front of the frame carefully and places it on the mantle along with the photograph. Beside both of these, he draws and places a dress uniform dagger. He stands before the mantle, looking for a long time at the photgraph....almost sadly before looking up at Astrine, Store 'em wherever ya can find tha space. I get tha feelin' Captain Vargas isn't real worried about it.
AstrineNastril 07-10-03, 03:54 PM	"I thought we had a quartermaster, though. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. A lot of the other quartermasters I've worked with can be pretty particular about weapons under their jurisdiction." *Astrine notices the photo on the mantel* "Your team?"
Jordan Task 07-10-03, 04:58 PM	They were my first unit. We had a lot of sucessful missions together. Out of eveyone in that photo, I'm the only one who didn't die violently. Yet. The picture was snapped by some war correspondent who caught us at a moment when we were goofing off. He told us to pose for the camera, an' we thought "what the hell". He sent us each a copy.
nick012000 07-11-03, 12:09 AM	"Very well captain. what positions do you have open?" he asks.
AstrineNastril 07-11-03, 12:46 AM	"Sorry... Well there's worse ways to die or at least worse things then dieing. Actually, I think I might..." *pull out her data pad and shows it to task. There's a picture of three girls and two guys in various gear, including astrine in the middle (six total), all happily possing for a picture.* "My team. All alive, sofar. We're from different squads, but are all in task force/fleet ariel."
Jordan Task 07-11-03, 07:07 AM	What kinda stuff were you guys involved in? Are we talkin' zippin' starships 'round the galaxy or ground warfare? See, the two are a li'l different. The bonds that form between ground troops tend ta be a little stronger. I mean, the people ya fight with save yer life pretty much daily. Also, starship warfare's a little safer. People flying tha ships have a whole lotta armor and shielding 'tween them and tha insanity. It's a lot more sterilized. Less people died in the entire Yaeops war on the starships than in tha ground war. A lot less. When I graduated officer school, they showed me somethin' pretty hair raisin'. Average life expectancy figures for tha various branches of the service, based on casualty reports. For the average grunt ground trooper, it was 'bout a month. For tha dudes flyin' tha ships, it came out ta 'bout a year. For Spec Ops troopers, it was a couple days. Scary stuff, no?
AstrineNastril 07-11-03, 11:22 AM	"We actually did all three. Sierra *points to the biggest oldest girl, holding a machine gun and in huge mechanised armor* is what they call an Exo Marine. She's got this power armor with missiles and everything on it. It's like a battle frame, but she can do hand stands and things. She's the only one in a normal combat unit, so she's in the most danger of all of us. All the rest of us with maybe one exception is either a tech or officer. Why are we even ground pounding in the first place, though? What happened is that I was a com and sensor officer on one of the big ships. All we did was sit around in space, though. So I, like a number of people like me, developed a little hobby of hacking. I found an encoded message one day, turned out that these guys were trying to get ship blueprints and a ship or two from the guy I work for. My CO let me persue it by myself and let me access the resources I needed. I even got a few of my friends and two guys I had run into a few times to do the actual arresting with me. We broke into the bad guys, took everything they weren't suppose to have, and arrested them. Things got a little hairy at the end. They had some security guards and they had some battle frame and they were all putting down some heavy fire, but we took them out and got away, mission accomplished. My COs used us for a few other things, too. Now we're an on the books special op go team. As to infanty, we did a little of that, but that stuff is still classified as to me. If you really want to see scary, see the survival ratings for our guys and theirs. Can't tell you that either, though."
nick012000 07-11-03, 07:16 PM	"I'm a ground warrior myself. I'm genetically, surgically, and mecanically engineered to be among the best warriors humanity has. Unfortunately, we were attacked before we could land, and now out my entire company, i'm the only survivor," he states.
Jordan Task 07-11-03, 08:57 PM	With all due respect, son, bein' genetically engineered an' all that other stuff don't make ya a good soldier. I don't know ya, so I won' judge ya until I do. But I do know one thang, NONE of tha stuff that makes a warrior can be built in as after market options. Yer either born with it, or ya ain't. He reaches into his bag and draws out a long wooden box. Upon opening it, you notice several neat rows of cigars. He offers the box to anyone who wants one before taking out a cigar for himself. He lights up, and then glances up at Nick, A retirement gift from some of my boys. These are tha finest cee-gars in the galaxy. 500 cred's a pop. Now, don' take it tha wrong way son. It's not a statement 'bout you necessarily. Killer instinct can be learned, so can fighting skill. But all the other stuff....yer born with it. Courage, heart, determination, these aren't thing ya can create. Trust me son, I've worked with gene engineered soldiers before. They go thru' tha motions jus' fine, but that's all they do. Like bloody automatons.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-11-03, 10:20 PM	*glances at Task* "You remind me of my father. He was a veteran at combat and preached about the blood being stronger than bullets. Unfortunately, he was killed in an attack. Outnumbered. I heard his gun was broken in mid-combat." "Courage and valor are important but so is a dependable weapon. Trust in your aim and your weapon and your skill will do the rest. That's what my father told me." "And our newest recruit...congrats on stepping into the frontiers of genetic engineering. There's a lot of mistakes and prototypes but they are pioneers into perfecting genetic engineering. You aren't the pinnacle of their endeavors but without people like you, we would be technologically behind many different factions. And a word of advice, like Task says, engineering isn't everything. Without self, you won't be the perfect soldier. I'm glad to see a genetech soldier and I'm a little eager to see how well it enhances your ability." *Yat walks away, takes a quick check of the case, then places an electronic photo album on the bunk and sits down.* "Hand me a cigar, Task." It seems the crew knows what they're doing. Perhaps my situation isn't as bad as I thought. They're certainly trustworthy.
AstrineNastril 07-11-03, 11:08 PM	*politely refuses a cigar and turns to task* "Thank you, no. I will say, though. That enhancement stuff does have it's down points, but what it can do to you, if done properly, is amazing. That they do their job perfectly on the battlefield is one of their strong points. They do have hearts and souls, though. *Astrine then turns to Yat* "While enhancement can be a leap into the future and save lives, it is a risky field. Something you should keep in mind is that some of those researching these things are more concerned with the future, at the expense of forsaking morals. Some of these research programs use children and abduct people to use as test subjects. What they do to some of these test subjects are horrifying as well. Make sure you know who you're backing."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-12-03, 12:08 AM	"Don't worry. I'm more concerned about the people. After all, a future is nothing without people to experience it." Ah, and this is where the difference is between my old crew and this one. This crew isn't morally bankrupt. Oh, would I love to tell them that my father didn't die in a blaze of glory. My crew betrayed him. I can't tell them...they'd distance themselves. They'd think that it was all my doing. What I need most now is a way to the good Doctor now...and fearful crewmates hinder that.
AstrineNastril 07-12-03, 12:14 AM	"Good, I was unfortunate enough to get a first hand look at what people lacking of morals can do."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-12-03, 12:34 AM	"I'm not going to ask you to repeat that story. My old crew and I found an abandoned lab and the old records. Unsanctioned experiments is not wonderful. But in the deep expanse of space...no one can really stop them." The lab wasn't abandoned, we killed them. "Onto a slightly brighter topic, how do you all feel about this assignment? To tell you the truth, it feels kind of good to be back in space again." To tell myself the truth, I feel pretty worried.
Jordan Task 07-12-03, 01:44 AM	Holds the open box out toward Yat, then offers a light. Here's my problem with Genetech..... If tha science guys were jus' makin' 'em faster an' stronger, I wouldn't see it as a problem. But they're not. They alter the thought an' emotional patterns ta make 'em better killers. They ain't people, they're bloody machines. Tha single minded devotion comes from tha fact that they can't concieve of any other possibities. They follow orders, point the gun and squeeze tha trigger. They don't have a life outside battle, because they can't. Yes, they are effective on tha field. Yes, they're easier to train than regular soldiers. But...... Listen. I seen a guy in my outfit once dive on a grenade ta save his friends. He blows a long trail of smoke away from the group of people in the circle, I seen a guy once go back through a field of tracer fire ta save another guy in his unit that got dropped by a shot in tha leg. He carried tha guy out on his back through artillery, tracer fire an' small arms for almost a hundred meters. In my experience, genetech soldiers don't do that. They're programmed to take the most efficient actions possible.
nick012000 07-12-03, 01:56 AM	"Trust me, i was voluntarily engineered. Before that i was a soldier, though perhaps not in the modern meaning of the word. I came from a feral world. You know, technological regressives. My tribe made a living raiding other tribes. Then, one day, we were trapped. We couldn't get back to our ships, and we had to fight our way out. The greatly outnumbered us, we had to fight our way out. I killed probably 20 people that day. Fortunately the Space Wolves were watching, and when i fell, they took away my body and brought it back to life. And then came the training, then the geneseed, and the transformation. *shudder* I'm glad I was delirious half the time, so i can't remember it and what i did during the temporary madness. Then came the Ultimate Test. I was dropped 100 miles away, and told to return to base. I didn't have to. But i wanted to find out about all of their strange and magical secrets." At this point, he laughs out loud, revealing a pair of fangs. "I still don't know whether i made the right choice. Then the real training began. The used special neural implants to transmit information, about pretty much everything. But although they tought us the theory, we still had to practice to get practical knowledge. That's what our lives were. Eating, sleeping, learning, and practicing. And this is the result." Hearing Jordans remarks, he laughs. "Well, some may indeed do that. But the people who made us, modeled us on a wolf pack. they did fiddle with our emotions, to make us more loyal to each other and more fierce."
AstrineNastril 07-12-03, 08:28 AM	"Efficiant, yes. It depends, though. I've heard stories about an enhanced soldier deflecting missiles with his bare hands. About one with a damaged suit in a enemy ship staying behind to make sure that the bomb wasn't disarmed. About someone freefalling from the roof of building to save her friends who were under fire on one of the floors. About a team that snuck into a stolen battle crusier through the missile tubes. It depends on the person, some can be extreamly loyal and inventive. And while enhancement can be a great thing if vollentary, I was not given a choice the first time." *Astrine then moves onto the new topic* "I can't wait to get out there again as well. It's been weeks since I've gotten some good time behind a com station. I keep doing this ground pounding and I'm gonna have a problem making experence hours."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-12-03, 09:57 AM	*Yat pulls a bottle from the metal case.* "Task, you like to drink, no? I don't think I ever saw you leave the bar. Anyway, some good stuff here. Carrying around, just in case. Feel free to have a bit." *pouring himself a small cup* "Brewing fruits and grains in such a way was a great act of mankind." At ease, Yat.
nick012000 07-12-03, 08:12 PM	"One of my glands make me immune to pretty much all poisons, and that includes alcohol. I'll have a cup though."
Jordan Task 07-12-03, 08:24 PM	No thanks son. I don't drink aboard ship or on assignment. Don' let me stop ya, though.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-12-03, 09:14 PM	*Yat pours a cup for "012000"* "You never did tell us your name...Mr. Power Armor..." "Hmm...while we're waiting, any other stories about your travels? And...let's skip the tragedies."
nick012000 07-12-03, 10:59 PM	"My name's Nick Scott." *downs the alcohol* "So you want to hear some stories, huh? Hmm... once when we were first recruited, the Space Wolf that was giving us our initial training, was like your typical drill seargent, so I'm told. And we were like, yeah, we're real strong warriors. and he was like, i've got to whip you maggots into shape. Now this one guy, named Bjorn Grimskull, didn't like that. So he goes and says so. So Seargent Hakon says "Yeah, sure. I'm going to give you my sword. You have 3 tries to hit me, and if you don't you're going to regret it." So Bjorn takes the sword, struggling to lift it, and swings at his head. Hakon dodges it easily, and taunts him. So he aims for the legs, and Hakon jumps over it. So Hakon says, "You've got one more try, Thickskull, and you'll regret it if you miss." So he swings for the chest, and Hakon jumps back. So Hakon goes and punches him, smack, right on the jaw. Bjorn goes flying, and lands unconcous (sp). So Hakon goes, "Thickskull was right. That would have killed most people."
Jordan Task 07-12-03, 11:16 PM	Groans and rolls his eyes, I remeber trainin' a couple people like that. I remember there was this one guy......... He just wouldn't play tha game by tha rules. As far as bein' a drill instructor goes, I'm not TOOl tough with my boys. Tha way I see it, they ain't good ta anybody dead, wounded or too exhausted ta fight. I mean...they gotta get trained an' all, but what's tha sense of trainin' 'em if they won' fight 'cause they're ****** off, right? As long as they play by tha rules, I always treat 'em real good. Better than they got treated as civvies, for a lot of 'em. So anyway....there's this guy..... He refused ta keep his bunk area clean, wouldn't put on his BDU's and generally was a pain in the glutius. We jus' started takin' stuff away from 'im. When he wouldn't put on tha BDU's properly, we made 'im run drills in his boxers. When he refused ta shine his boots, we took 'em away an' made him train barefoot. We took away his bunkpad 'cause he wouldn't keep it clean. After a month of trainin' he fell in line. Heh.
Traveler 07-12-03, 11:36 PM	Now...here we go... She strolled up to where captain Vargas waited, wearing an long flowy dress, looking just a little too exotic to have been from anywhere but that little tourists vendor near the Dancing Bee. At her hip though, was an impressive looking gun, in an equally impressive looking holster. She was wearing thin strapped, high heals sandals, exposing feet that could have been far far uglier than they were considering her age. Her bag was once again slung over her shoulder, pinning her liong silver hair to her back. Her earings quivered from the motion of walking. "Good day, Captain." She began brightly...
Carefree Butterfly* 07-13-03, 12:13 AM	"A couple people in my old crew were less than obedient. Pranks, tricks, and fooling around. It's like they never grew up. One day, they were playing games on one of our main computers so our first mate walked right up, pulled out his pistol, and shot at their feet. One of them had trouble walking for about a month. I asked our first mate why he had to go to such extremes and he said that it wasn't the first time he did that. Yeah, he was a dangerous guy but his heart's in the right place." He was one of the only people I could trust on that ship other than my father and the good Doctor.
AstrineNastril 07-13-03, 12:24 AM	*thinks for a moment* "Let's see... oh yeah. There was this one time when we first entered basic training. There were ten of us and we had to get to the barracks through this obstacle course. You know, ten meters of barbed wire and auto tracking guns with a minimum height, the normal. Last one there or anyone injured didn't get dinner. They didn't count on us jumping over all the obstacles and sprinting at over forty kph. Should have seen the looks on their faces when they pulled up to the barracks. My friend Sierra was the first to speak. "What took you so long?" We heard they came down to the barracks because we got through the course before they got to the vid room."
nick012000 07-13-03, 01:03 AM	"Are you genetically enhanced as well, Nastrine?" he asks. If she says yes, he laughs, revealing his large fangs, and says, "well, your enhancement is certainly more subtle than mine."
Jordan Task 07-13-03, 01:44 AM	Wait.....wait....ya mean ta tell me ya had a First Mate on one o' yer ships shootin' off at people? How'd he rate keepin' a live weapon on ship? Standard operatin' procedure on military ships is that all weapons need ta be locked in weapons lockers. Only a few people have access to 'em. D'ya know why? First of all, they don' want people goin' off half cocked and blastin' some poor crewman who ****** 'em off. Second, they don' want easy access ta weapons in tha event of a mutiny. Third, they wanna 'void spacers worst enemy.....hull breaches. It's always possible that dischargin' a weapon in a starship might result in damage ta the inner hull. Hell, I've seen small arms fire punch small holes in ships hulls, and asitems from inside tha ship get sucked t'ward tha breach, it gets bigger. Next thing ya know, half tha damn ship's gotta be evacuated. All because some idiot decided ta get his gun off.
AstrineNastril 07-13-03, 07:51 AM	((OOC: I am so sorry I forgot to tell you guys earlier. I'm gonna be gone for the week because I have to go to a scout camp. You're just gonna have to play around me. I'm sure a sensor officer could make herself generally unnoticeable. BTW, in addition to her two pistols, she's got an small assault rifle, gyro balanced machine gun, two heavy pistols, two submachine guns, five grenades, and some extra ammo in that pack. She came to share :) )) I'm cybernetically enhanced, it's bit covert, but there. Didn't have much of a choice in the matter the first time. Local government wanted cyberlinked humans, they got a guy and some data from a system that had already done it. I was taken from my parents and held by armed guards like the other twenty-nine girls. I got off a lot better then some, though. Three were rushed for emergency surgery when a couple black ops teams from the guys we now work for busted us out. They got their hands on a lot of experts in that stuff and pulled a mercy mission when they got wind of what was going on. They fixed the gear in all of us and we went through counseling. We couldn't go home, because they were watching our parents, which we thought were dead at the time. It worked out in the end, though. All of us but the three that were in really bad shape ended up getting more enhancements. All thirty are now working for the guys who busted us out, doing just about everything. I got a roommate who's on a special ops team, as I said. The other three are a fighter pilot, a tech developer, and a biochemist. You don't allow guns on your ships? Makes sense, I guess. Everyone on ours gets either or both a small sidearm and a extending quarterstaff. Keeps the number of people on the ship down because they can turn back all but a heavy raiding party, and there's locked weapons for those. Black and special ops get to keep extra small arms and the central command guys get everything but unregistered grenade launchers. It's really hard to punch through a hull with a side arm and if someone's trying, the whole ship will know. As for mutiny, there's a very organized procedure for that. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a few things I need to get done. *Astrine goes off to do something.*
Carefree Butterfly* 07-13-03, 09:59 AM	"Well, Task, my ship wasn't a standard military ship. We were...freelancers. Rules are a little less strict than your average military ship. I was probably the only one with military-sanctioned training on that ship."
Jordan Task 07-13-03, 02:29 PM	Well....our emergency weapons lockers were pretty easy ta get to. If ever there was a boardin' attempt by the time the boarders got aboard we'd all be armed an' good ta go.
Acaed 07-13-03, 07:38 PM	"Good morning, Miss Ariya. Glad to see you're here. If I may?" He motions to her bag. "I will take you into the ship..."
Traveler 07-13-03, 10:31 PM	She grinned, appreciating the old fashioned gesture. "Now thank you, sir." She lets him take her bag and lead her inside. "If you insist on formality," she said as they walked. "It's Mrs. Mas'Kithe, but Ariya is just fine with me." Mrs....not Admiral...not commander.......at last!
Carefree Butterfly* 07-13-03, 10:43 PM	"I hope that's our first mate. We're running about things to talk about to pass the time." *Yat pulls out a little handheld device.* "Newslink. Wireless, too, but it takes a while to gather news from every long-range satellite in the area. Great thing...it serves as a radio too. I don't think there's any broadcast stations in this area, so I doubt it'll work."
nick012000 07-13-03, 11:10 PM	Nick cocks his head for a few moments, and then states, "There are some decent broadcast stations around here. Do you like sports?"
Jordan Task 07-14-03, 01:35 AM	I LOVE tha football. I used ta get one of tha other guys in my outfit ta record games while I was away.
nick012000 07-14-03, 06:15 AM	"Would that be soccer, rugby union, rugby league, australian rules, or american football, also called gridiron?"
Carefree Butterfly* 07-14-03, 10:19 AM	"Sports is okay...I just really listened to it all that much." *Yat tunes the radio and a rather poor reception station comes in playing some rock music.* "Eh...I guess that'll do. I couldn't find anything except for rock."
Acaed 07-14-03, 10:09 PM	*Takes Ariya's bag.* "Of course. This way..." He lets Ariya into the ship behind him. He follows her in, then turns at the sound of someone calling him from outside the ship... Several large men carrying even larger guns approach the gangplank of the Mira. "You killed my brother yesterday, Vargas." One of them says. "Yes. He deserved to die, following me like a hound follows a rabbit." Vargas responds. "You deserve to die, you piece of ****!" One of the other men shouts, and fires off a grenade round right at Vargas. Reacting instantly, Vargas snatches the gredande from the air and hurls it upwards, with unseen speed. The grenade rockets upwards and explodes a mile up. No normal human could do that. "What the ****!?" Vargas snarls at the man who launched the grenade, and his arm shoots out towards the bandit, lengthining. The other men watch in horror as Vargas strangles the man, 10 feet away from him. Then then begin to run, leaving the dying man, and the leader of their band. "I-I never knew you were varghasn..." The leader mumbled as the now dead bandit falls to the dock floor. "And you shouldn't have...now go, and do not tell anyone...or you are next." Vargas replies, and turns around as his arm returns to normal size and shape...turning around right into the astoniched face of Ariya, who he thought had gone into the ship! "I...uh...I..."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-14-03, 10:18 PM	*Yat drops the newslink, pulls out his machine pistol and runs outside.* "What's all the commotion? Are we under attack? I just heard shouting and then an explosion!" *Yat notices the dead man.* "Oh! Well, it seems everything is under control...are you people okay?"
Traveler 07-14-03, 10:22 PM	Interesting... She was not at all astonished...she was smiling. She raised an eyebrow. "So you're a busy man..." "Fine," she said to the man who came up behind them. "All is well..." She turned back to Vargas. "At least for the moment, yes?"
Acaed 07-14-03, 10:24 PM	"Yes...Yes, Mr. Pariker. I think we will be fine. However, I think it is high time we took off for orbit." Vargas ushers them all inside, and he himself heads off towards the front of the ship.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-14-03, 10:41 PM	"Huh. Gave me quite a shock. I thought I'd have to use my gun." Well, I hope whoever that attacked was not looking for me. No, that's impossible. There were absolutely no survivors on my ship, except for me. But if they weren't looking for me, who were they after? Could just be hijackers...ah, forget it. Best not to worry now. It could raise suspicion. "Finally! We're out of here! For those of you who don't know, I'm Yat Pariker, specializing in marksmanship and trained in general first-aid." *Yat goes back to his bunk, putting the discarded newslink in the corner as it still plays music and putting his machine pistol in the large steel case.*
nick012000 07-15-03, 06:18 AM	Nick hears the commotion, and catches snatches of what is said. He walks out of the ship and takes his helmet off, and takes a deep breath. "Something smells... odd," and fixes the captain with a stare. "I wonder what that would be?" (my char has a sense of smell 10-15 times stronger than your average dog, due to his enhancement)
Jordan Task 07-15-03, 06:58 AM	As the two men walk away, a large knife appears from the shadows and delivers a swift clean cut to each of thier throats. The second thug had just enough time to glance up in astonishment at his killer before perishing in a gurgling mess on the floor. Task steps out of the shadows, and stoops to wipe the blood on his knife off on one of the bodies, he then drags both corpses over to a trash compactor. No sense in leavin' any loose ends. Maybe ya threatened 'em, but ya know what they say......idle tonges will wag. 'Specially if there's somethin' in it for 'em. Nwo, if nobody's got any objections, we've jus' killed three people. Four if ya count tha one Vargas did in tha bar. We should start movin' before someone gets the idea ta come lookin' for these brightboys.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-15-03, 09:54 AM	Then again, maybe they AREN'T so different from my old crew.
Acaed 07-15-03, 10:49 AM	"Task?" Vargas turns around, half-inside the door of his ship, in astonishment. "How the hell did you make it past me without me noticing?"
Jordan Task 07-15-03, 02:15 PM	Smiles evilly, Trade secret, Vargas. Tha real trick was sneakin' inta those shadows while those two was walkin' toward them.
Acaed 07-15-03, 11:12 PM	"I see." Vargas laughs. "Well, if you'll all take your seats...or at least if you'll go back to the crew quarters..."
nick012000 07-16-03, 05:50 AM	(How did your character do that thing with his arm? My char would probably know.)
Jordan Task 07-16-03, 06:38 AM	Allright then. Lets do it. He walks quickly toward the ship and enters.....
Acaed 07-16-03, 08:43 PM	((Most people probably would, Nick: Vargas is a shapeshifter.))
Acaed 07-17-03, 01:10 AM	"3...2...1...liftoff. Destination: Orbit around Klas'niya. Estimated time of arrival in orbit: 5 minutes. Repeat..." comes floating out from the intercom in the hall, into the crew's quarters. The voice of the Mira is, as most ships captained by shapeshifting young-old humans, a mechanical female-like voice. Then, after 5 minutes, the voice changes. It is Vargas. "Okay, people, we're heading for the central planet of the Yaeops system. Gotta pickup an extra shipment of drangon that they forgot. We'll be there in 5 hours. There's beers in the flash-cooler, and food in there too. Magazines are in abundance in one of those drawers to the left of the drawer, and the galley will be open in an hour to serve lunch, if anyone wants it. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the command bay." The intercom squeeks, then silences. The crew's quaters, like the rest of the ship, are immpeccably clean and well-kep, with spacious room for gear and weapons, serveral racks for the aforementioned weapons, tables with playing cards on them, and bunk beds with, miraculosly, enough headspace above and below! Vargas obviously came into a lot of money...The Mira is almost brand-new, a top-of-the-line model!
nick012000 07-18-03, 04:03 AM	Nick go to the freezer, and looks around in it. Hmm... this looks good. He takes a package over to the table, and opens it. You see it is raw, frozen steak. "Anybody want some?" he asks. "So that's a no then?" he says, and proceeds to eat it raw.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-18-03, 02:41 PM	"The meat appears to be a little on the rare side, Nick." *Yat browses at the magazines. It appears that nothing catches his interest. His eyes slide to the playing cards.*
nick012000 07-18-03, 06:49 PM	"yeah, well, my system can handle it due to it's engineering, and i like the taste, though that might have been programmed into me. i can survive by eating tree bark and dirt. you never know what food might not get on a long campaign, when it's dangerous to light fires."
AstrineNastril 07-18-03, 09:20 PM	*Astrine appears in the bunk room after a short while, carrying her empty pack in one hand and a slightly big helmet in the other. Walking over to her bunk and opening the space, she sets down the helmet and crams the pack into a corner. Taking a jumpsuit slightly bigger then the one she is currently wearing, she takes out the small pack and stuffs the suit into the back. Closing the drawer, she picks up the small pack and helmet.* "Sorry I disappeared. I'm not used to working on this kind of ship. I needed to poke around a bit. I'm gonna head up to the command deck and check out my station. I'll be on triple four, nine two five, positive shift, eight eight point five offset if anyone needs me." *Astrine heads out of the bunk room and towards the command bay.*
Acaed 07-21-03, 09:52 PM	Hours later... "We have arrived at the military facility. In order not to expose any of you to the drangon, the military has requested you stay inside tyhe ship. Please do not try to leave. This is important." The windows to the outside darken as the Mira descends into the upper atmosphere of the planet. The windows darken completey so even someone with darkvision enhancements cannot see through it. ((Nick... :) )) "Please. Stay inside. We will be on our way in a matter of hours." The door locks with an omnious click. ((If any of you need a description of the room further than what I gave you, etc, air vents, etc...let me know, just ask.))
nick012000 07-21-03, 11:57 PM	(no nightvision... though he has good vision, and is capable of processing the information very quickly. he also has a very good sense of smell and good hearing. he is, however, capable of surviving hard vacuum for short lengths of time due to an oily substance his skin emits and having a very efficient cardiovascular system.)
nick012000 07-22-03, 12:02 AM	Nick finishes his steak, and then he sits there, and uses an organ implanted into his brain to put half of his brain to sleep, though noone else will notice, while he is waiting. He will wake up fully if anyone addresses him.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-22-03, 12:42 AM	*Yat shuffles the deck of cards.* "I played a lot of cards with my old crew. Anyone care to play?"
nick012000 07-22-03, 03:55 AM	"Yeah, sure. I'll play."
Jordan Task 07-22-03, 06:40 AM	Nods faintly, Deal me in son. He puffs on the cigar, Somthin' seems a bit fishy to me 'bout this little detour we're makin'.......I mean....just HOW do you forget to load a dangerous substance onto the carrier that's gonna be disposin' of it? Keep yer weapons close, me hardies.
Acaed 07-22-03, 05:07 PM	One of the windows, oddly, has not been dimmed. It is near the ceiling, on the wall near one of the topmost bunks. It is clear, and sunlight is shining through.
jetbomb24 07-22-03, 08:16 PM	((sorry, mispost))
AstrineNastril 07-22-03, 08:17 PM	*Astrine sits where she was five hours ago, with the jumpsuit that was in her pack pulled up like pants, the top section neatly rolled and tied by the sleeves around her waist. A utility belt is partly hidden by the tied sleeves and the bottoms of the legs are seamlessly attached to her boots. Her pack is attached to a fold up frame attached to the floor. Various eletronic boxes are attached to her consol and to eachother, giving her differing readout of the data she collects. At least one of her hands never leaves one of two boxes that seem to form to her hand. After being very absorbed in her work for the past couple hours, she looks at Captain Vargas.* "Sir? This doesn't feel right. Why would they forget to send an extra shipment. Wouldn't it cost them less to sent a simple or something to intercept us? And why are they shipping all this drangon while they still have conflicts to deal with?"
Acaed 07-22-03, 08:49 PM	"Why? I don't know...." THe intercom beeps. Vargas presses the button next to it. "Yeah?" "Vargas, we ned you out here," a gruff military-sounding voice says, "to over see the loading of the...drangon." "Sure," Vargas responds, and heads for the door.
AstrineNastril 07-22-03, 08:55 PM	*As Captain Vargas start to walk out, Astrine turns to him* "Captain, with your permission, may I? I'm all ready suited up and am trained in handling procedures."
nick012000 07-22-03, 09:00 PM	"I'm going out side, to see what's going on." He then walks to the airlock, opens the inner door, and then closes it and opens the outer door. With a hiss, the air in the short chamber shoots into the vacuum, and he floats out, until he activates the magnetic clamps in his shoes. His skin begins sweating a yellowish-brown, oily substance, to protect him from the vacuum. The rebreather in his helmet allows him to maintain his concousness(sp) instead of passing out from asphyxiation(sp?). He looks around, sweeping the area for anything unusual.
Carefree Butterfly* 07-22-03, 10:33 PM	*Yat ceases to shuffle as soon as the "military voice" calls out.* "You people go ahead, I'll make sure the ship is fine. If you need anything, I'll be watching from afar." *Yat gathers protective gear and keeps his gun by him.* Bad feeling...could this be any relation to the dead thugs at the station?
Jordan Task 07-23-03, 06:51 AM	Keep an open comm line people. I'm headin' up to the bridge to check the sensors. Somethin' jus' don' feel right here. Yat, Astrine, watch yer backs. He grabs a pistol hanging in the holster on his belt, and stuffs a few more spare magazines into his pockets. He then grabs one of his SMG's out of the lockbox and loads it up. Stay frosty.
Acaed 07-23-03, 04:03 PM	((Nick...the door is locked. Not even all of Jordan Task's weapons could open the door. The crew is locked inside...except for a small window near the topmost bunk, and an air ventilation shaft in the corner. Plus, the Mira has already landed. If Nick did jump out of an airlock, he'd fall flat on his face! :-) )) "It's okay, people, just stay put," Vargas speaks into his communicator, then looks at Nastrine. "Sure...why not. Just don't touch anything." Vargas and Natrine exit the Mira, with the others locked inside. ((Edit: Keep in mind, it's ther door to the crew's quarters that is locked.))
Acaed 07-23-03, 04:27 PM	Vargas and Nastrine emerge into the gloom of one of Yaeop's many, many moons. The Mira is surrounded completely by atleast a thousand armed military troops. That, and several hundred battlesuits and hovercraft are waiting nearby. A large troop transporter has just pulled up behind the Mira, and Vargas and Astril go over to it to oversee the loading of the Drangon. The man behind the military-sounding voice comes up and pulls Vargas away from Astril. He hisses, "Do you think it's wise to let that girl--" before Vargas pulls away, shaking his head 'yes'. The troop transport opens, and mist spews out; the leftovers of nitrogen-cooling. A large container is wheeled out of the transport, flanked by three squads of marines all leveling their guns at it. The container is longer than it is wide, looking for all the world like a giant's coffin. It is loaded into a secured, radiation-proofed part of the ship and the back hatch of the Mira locked down, the dual keys given to Vargas and the military man, who was a general, it turned out. Oddly, Astril sees that there are no other containers in the hold...didn't Vargas say this was an additional shipment of drangon? Where was the first? This may be something to keep to herself...
Acaed 07-24-03, 12:20 PM	The general whispers something into Vargas's ear, which Astril can barely overhear: "Remember...keep 'it'...locked up...and the temperature...to absolute zero...else, you know what...happen. Not our fault then." The general smiles, claps Vargas on the back, and in the space of minutes, the entire military of this small moon of Yaeops, 80 million soldiers, is gone, completely silently. Vargas walks back into the ship with Nastrine as the back hatch closes.
Acaed 07-25-03, 11:01 PM	((What? Nobody wants to post?))
nick012000 07-26-03, 02:28 AM	Walking up to Vargas, Nick says, "what was that all about? i know that drangon can be kept above 0 degrees."
Acaed 07-26-03, 12:50 PM	((Nick is still inside the room! You didn;t tell me how he got out, Nick....he couldn't have.))
nick012000 07-26-03, 08:11 PM	(Vargas came back in right? if not, i'll wait for him to come back in, and preferably for the ship to take off.)
Acaed 07-26-03, 10:21 PM	((Ah yes Nick, but how did Nick see the drangon being loaded and at that cool a temperature? I don't mean to be persnickety and mean, but you need to tell me what he is doing. Did you look out the window?))
Traveler 07-26-03, 11:43 PM	She sat at her console. All was well. Bored, she began idly reading throught the Mira's old logs...
nick012000 07-27-03, 07:29 PM	(He plugged himself into the surveilance cameras that the ship has.)
AstrineNastril 07-27-03, 07:41 PM	*As they reenter the ship, Astrine privatly says to Captain Vargas* "Sentient and how bad?"
Acaed 07-27-03, 07:54 PM	"What? Drangon has no intelligence that I know of. And drangon is almost harmless, except in large doses, which, as you could see, it is in. Quite reading all those horror stories. The worse sentient beings we could run into on this run is space pirates."
AstrineNastril 07-27-03, 08:06 PM	*Seems to give Vargas a look, without actually turning* "You know what I'm talking about. Keep it at absolute Zero?"
Acaed 07-28-03, 09:38 AM	"The drangon must be kept near absolute zero to prevent radiation from spreading; in case you haven't noticed, we have no radiation shielding here." Vargas and Astril arrive at the command bay; he unlocks the doors. ((Sorry Nick, there are no scurity cameras onboad the Mira...those are a thing of the past.))
Traveler 07-28-03, 11:06 AM	"Hello," She says brightly to Vargas and Nastril. She was simply beside them of a sudden, or so it seemed. She was still wearing the gaudy dress and sandals. "I trust all went well with the loading of the cargo?"
Acaed 07-28-03, 03:54 PM	"Yes, it did, Ariya. Thank you for asking."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-28-03, 04:04 PM	Hmm...my intuition is telling myself that something odd is about. Better stay alert from here on. I wasn't part of the project but I'm getting all these strange readings that I haven't before. In any case, I have to begin to see who I can trust. Vargas, a little iffy...Jordan seems to be a good guy...Nick might be part of the project...Ariya and Nastril, I dunno.
Jordan Task 07-28-03, 04:09 PM	Appears on the bridge, his face contorted into a mask of anger. Clenched between his teeth is a stub of a cigar and in his hand is a large pistol..... What the hell was that all about?!?!?!?
Acaed 07-28-03, 04:12 PM	Calmly, Vargas disarms (heh) Task and asks him: "What was what?"
Jordan Task 07-28-03, 04:51 PM	Lockin' tha doors with us trapped inside? Sneakin' around like that? Reholsters the pistol..... Another stunt like that an' you'll be one less crewmwmber.
Acaed 07-28-03, 05:11 PM	"That was for your safety, Task." Vargas says to his back.
Jordan Task 07-29-03, 06:58 AM	My safety? Where does HE get off?!?!?!? tha last time somebody did somethin' for MY safety, I was declared clinically dead shortly afterward....... Do me a favor.....don't do anything for my safety. I can take care of that myself.
Acaed 07-29-03, 09:02 PM	"Sure."
Carefree Butterfly* 07-30-03, 02:11 AM	Ah, not quite the break I was looking for. Everyone's becoming my old crew...the secrets...the anger...There's just one thing I hope does not happen that happened on my old ship. Mutiny. In any case, it's going to be one helluva challenge to see the Good Doctor and my old friend again...And, Vargas...so calm. You only see that in severely augmented soldiers or machines.
Acaed 07-31-03, 10:29 PM	Vargas turns to Astrine: "You want to investigate the drangon, go on ahead--there's a suit near the hold door, and here's the key to that door." Vargas hands her a key, then heads back to the command bay.
nick012000 08-01-03, 07:32 AM	"Wait a moment, I'm coming too," Nick says, as he buckles on his helmet.
AstrineNastril 08-03-03, 10:15 PM	*Looks at Vargas through her helmet.* "Yeah, I'm fine on that one as I said. And I assume that crate is locked. Also, you said that the/more drangon was already loaded. Where might that be so I or we can check that out too? And if you allow it, may I extend an invitation to the rest of the crew to accompany me, if your invitation was not limited to me?"
Gene_Kynes 08-03-03, 10:27 PM	(( Ah well, was worth a shot. :shrugs:))
Traveler 08-04-03, 12:21 AM	She smirks. "Are we going on a field run to the cargo bay? Honestly!" She hoped her levity would allay fears...this is precisely what got folks into dire straits...poking their noses where they did not belong.
AstrineNastril 08-04-03, 07:34 PM	*Turns to Ariya with a smirk of her own* "In the words of my roommate Kasalina; 'Oh, I just wanta know what kind of gun to stick under my bed and how much explosives to put under my pillow'"
Acaed 08-05-03, 02:36 PM	"No, the offer was just for you, Astril. Now go, and before I change my mind," he replies gruffly, then shuts the door to the command bay, with himself inside.
AstrineNastril 08-05-03, 03:09 PM	*Astrine snaps to attention* "Yes, sir" *She starts off for the cargo bay*
Traveler 08-05-03, 04:33 PM	Now that's better... She grinned. Raising an eyebrow at the locked command bay door, shaking her head, she turns back the way she had come... ....back to her room and to the most fascinating bit of illicit reading...
Acaed 08-05-03, 05:49 PM	The door opens again. Vargas glares at Astril. "And then get back up here. We just got a distress call from a ship nearby. We're going to go help it." ((Gene Kynes, your intro is soon, I promise...))
Jordan Task 08-05-03, 06:28 PM	A distress call, huh? I'm gonna go get a bigger gun......
Gene_Kynes 08-05-03, 06:59 PM	((...Er...ah...I thought- well, heh. A grateful thanks, Acaed. Perhaps I made assumptions much too...quickly. :: Procceds to attempt removing shoe from mouth. :: ))
Acaed 08-05-03, 07:02 PM	Realizing that the mic to the whole ship is still on, and that is how Task managed to hear Varas' and Astril's conversation while still being in the crew quarters, Vargas goes and shuts it off. :D
AstrineNastril 08-05-03, 10:10 PM	*On her way to the cargo bay, Astrine stops off at a small locker; extracting an assault rifle and one grendade she stored there. With the grendade and rifle safely stored on her person, she continues to the cargo hold and enters using the key given to her by Vargas. She looks around for a moment before heading over to the resently loaded container and looking for a way to view the contents without comprimising the control of the "drangon" and preferibly without opening the container*
Acaed 08-07-03, 12:26 PM	DM: Nastril sees a control panel for the drangon container to the left of it, currently operating... When she goes over to investigate it, she can see that the temperature has been mysteriously raised...and quite a lot. From near absolute zero to 85 degrees celsius! There is steam coming from inside the container, leaking out of the coffin-shaped edges. Suddenly, without warning, the top of the lip pops open, completely melted! When the burst of steam that issues forth clears, Nastril can see...nothing. There is absolutely nothing inside the container! When (if, but I'm assuming) she goes to leave the cargo room, she finds the door locked and bolted. Keep in mind this is a solid door, and no amount of bangiung will make a dent or even a noise. Perhaps the crew will miss her in an hour or so...
Jordan Task 08-07-03, 03:24 PM	Reaches into the weapons locker extracting a small assault rifle and fitting a magazine into it, he also grabs about a dozen spare magazines and a combat knife. All right people, we've recieved some sort of distress call so get yerselves tooled. We don' know what were headin' into. Where the hell is Astrine? How long does it take to check something in the cargo bay anyway?
AstrineNastril 08-08-03, 10:44 AM	*Astrine jumps back, drawing her assault rifle to a ready position. Taking a moment, she scans the steam and surrounding area. Moving for the door, she finds it locked. Still scanning the room (and ceiling), she gives the door a few kicks out of habit. Finding the door solid, she kicks the wall a few times in different spots, just to make sure. Now getting nervous, Astrine, backs into a corner (with a quick glance over her shoulder) and attempts to reach the backup antenna she installed and her workstation. She starts with the simple thing, sending the following commands so the message appears on her workstation's screen ((or the modern coding effect)) echo "<H1><textcolor="red"><bgcolor="lime"><b><center>HELP!!! It's Astrine; I'm locked in the hold and can not get out. Warning! The temperature in the drangon container rose and the top shot off. It looks to be empty.</center></b></bgcolor></textcolor></H1>" After a few minutes scanning the room, she attempts to set off an alarm or two. Finding her access denied, she attempts to hack past the lockout and set off an alarm.*[/i]
Carefree Butterfly* 08-08-03, 11:47 PM	"Hmm...Task...should someone check up on her?" I have a feeling that this turn of events does not have something to do with me but one can't be absolutely sure. Yat has his favorite machine pistols with the word 'Betrayed' scratched on the side of one and 'Null And Void' scratched on another.
nick012000 08-09-03, 02:24 AM	Nick accompanied Astrine to the hold. When the container opens, and the doors shuts, he has his helmet run an analysis on the contents of the air. If he finds nothing amiss, he will turn around and proceed to the 'Open' button next to the hatch door. :P :rolleyes:
Jordan Task 08-09-03, 02:31 AM	Go check on her? I think so. Lets see if we can raise her on the intercom first. He presses the intercom button on the wall's comm panel. Cargo bay, respond please. Cargo bay, respond NOW!!
Acaed 08-09-03, 08:13 PM	DM: Turns out the com is one way. Task can't hear Astrine, but she can hear him. Nick finds no open button. The door is sealed. Something moves near the corner of the dark cargo bay...
nick012000 08-09-03, 08:16 PM	Turning swiftly, Nick open fire with his bolter. The caseless, self-propelled ammunition hurtles towards the thing, ripping into it, then, when inside it, detonating with enough force to open a man's ribcage like a book, in a boom that laughs at thunder.
Acaed 08-09-03, 08:22 PM	Suddenly, the door to the cargo bay slides open. Standing in the doorway is a smartly dressed young man, who can be no older than Astrine...if not older. He is wearing a simple combat suit, dark lycra bio-feedback suit with metal defensor plates covering his chest, shoulders, crotch area, knees, shins, etc, etc. He is carrying a datapad, a mkII Glock at his hip, and a high-powered machine gun slung over hsi shoulder. His body is slim, but muscular, and his face is fair. His hair...is blue. Yeah, you heard me: blue. Why? 'Cause I say so. He looks at Astrine, looking mildly but pleasantly suprised, and asks her: "What're you doing in there?" He movesd aside as he asks that so Astrine can get out. He has not seen Nick yet.
Acaed 08-09-03, 08:25 PM	The young man jumps at the sound of thunder, and pushes past Astrine, to unsling his gun and point it at Nick. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?" Nick can see that where he shot (and detonated) his bullets, there are only bits and pieces of ruined food left. There was nothing there. "You idiot! That was our food! What are you, some kind of stowaway!?" He keeps the machine gun pointing at Nick.
nick012000 08-09-03, 08:25 PM	Nick points his bolter at the man. "Unlike you, I am a part of Vargas's crew." "And who would you be?" he asks.
Acaed 08-09-03, 08:26 PM	((Nick, please see above post. You ain't creepin nowhere, my friend. :) ))
nick012000 08-09-03, 08:51 PM	(OOC: I know, we posted within like 30 seconds of each other.)
Acaed 08-09-03, 09:05 PM	The blue-haired man lowers his rifle. "Ah, so you're one of Vargas'. Nice to meet you. I'm Arik. And I am one of Vargas' crew. I'm his tecchie. I was down in the engine room, and didn't get to meet all of the newbies." He extends a hand to Nick.
Jordan Task 08-09-03, 10:44 PM	A shadow moves......with green glowing eyes.......Task steps out of the shadows, lowering his supressed assault rifle and lifting the nightvision goggles from his eyes. Smartest move I've seen yet. Arik, was it? The weapon is still more than at the ready, just no longer pointed at Arik's head......it is now pointed somewhere in between Arik and Nick..... Nick, the next time you go cappin' off in a confined area like this with NO FREAKIN' IDEA OF WHAT YER SHOOTIN' AT I WILL WASTE YOU MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a SPACECRAFT. High powered weapons cna blow holes in the hull. And then were ALL screwed.
nick012000 08-10-03, 01:08 AM	"Meh. I'll be fine. I can survive in a vacuum for a limited period of time, and, if all else fails, i can go into stasis. Though i get you're point. Now I'm going to have to get a hold of some more ammunition. Bolter rounds aren't cheap."
Jordan Task 08-10-03, 01:19 AM	Well, its good to know that you'll be fine son. But what about the rest of us? And what if your wonderful vacuum suit thingie were to get cracked by an impact with one of the multitude of large, heavy objects that would be sucked through the whole? And what about the fact that even IF the vacuum suit were to survive, a hull breach in vaccuum could tear the ship apart, and it might take hours for any rescue mission to arrive?
Carefree Butterfly* 08-10-03, 12:19 PM	"I'm sure Nick gets the point now. Sure, this hull is strong, but you might be putting a little too much faith in it. Explosives are overdoing it. I'd recommend holding off the high-power weapons. Anyway, Arik is it? Yat Pariker. I haven't been assigned to a job yet but I can excel at most jobs on a ship. And I must say...interesting color choice for your hair." Blue hair, familiar sight. Is it a coincidence?
Acaed 08-10-03, 01:28 PM	Arik lowers his rifle even further, slinging it back on his back. "How the hell did all of you get here?" ((And the DM's wondering that too...)) Sighing, Arik goes over to the drangon container. He reaches inside, and pulls a small lever cleverly hidden on the roof of the container. The bottom of the container pulls away, reavealing a large false bottom in the container, which contains small packets of drangon. "Good. At least none of you disturbed the drangon." He glares at Nick. "If you would have hit this..." He shudders. All of a sudden, a voice comes over the intercom: "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT CARGO BAY AND UP FRONT TO THE BRIDGE! WE'VE GOT A DISTRESS SIGNAL HERE, REMEMBER?!" Vargas sounds angry. "...and Arik, get that bulkhead fixed up before you come up here." Arik salutes, even though Vargas cannot see him. "Right away, sir." Arik motions the others to seal the door behind him as he goes over to where Nick has shot at, the check out the damage and repair the bulkhead, if nescessary. He turns around, midstride. "Well, just don't stand there--the man called all of you up front!"
Jordan Task 08-10-03, 03:45 PM	Allright people. Get to your stations and get ready for combat. We have no idea what were going into, so be ready. He takes off toward the bridge at a jog.....
Traveler 08-10-03, 03:52 PM	She was simply present at Vargas's side when he called. Silently she moved to her own station behind the captains chair. (OOC: OK, DM, what does she learn abou tthis new "menace"?)
Acaed 08-10-03, 09:27 PM	She learns, as all of the crew learns via their stations, that there has been a distress signal from a nearby planet--it appears to be a downed ship.
Traveler 08-10-03, 11:00 PM	She triple checks the signal frequency, apparent location and pattern....minding the channel with vigilance.
nick012000 08-11-03, 04:06 AM	Nick takes off at a sprint towards the cabin. Why was our food slinking about in the shadows?
Jordan Task 08-11-03, 12:44 PM	I suggest that we set down a ways from the wreck and then send in one person to investigate. We have no idea of what's going on. It could be some sorta trap.
Acaed 08-13-03, 04:52 PM	Yes...but perhaps we should send two, instead," offers Arik, who has just entered the control room, along with any stragglers not already there.
nick012000 08-14-03, 02:29 AM	"I'll go." Nick says as he volunteers himself.
Jordan Task 08-14-03, 02:37 PM	glances at Nick No, son, I think you should stay. I'll go.
Carefree Butterfly* 08-14-03, 03:10 PM	"Anything for me to do?" Yat asks as he stands around, "Maybe we should send one in first to scout around? It would be a shame to lose two people to something we aren't fully aware of, that is, if anything is in there at all." Could it be a stray bionic from the project? Maybe the artificial lifeforms? Maybe even some rowdy Anarchists.
Gene_Kynes 08-14-03, 05:37 PM	Jordan's thoughts of the distress signal being nothing more than a trap may or may not melt away with what's left of the source of the signal. In the general area of the signal, forest green hull pieces seem mixed with firey red plates; combustable oils running between the pieces, somehow similiar to a corpse laying in it's own blood. Shattered pieces of high-resistance glass lay in glittering clusters, and the occiasonal spark from a dying ship component sets off a short-lived explosion amongst the oil, living only as a flare before the oiled remnants are consumed in the heat. As for scannings, the precise broadcast seems to come from what seems to be a bright red pod...still attached to the starboard hull. A nest of missles is visible on the side of the pod, as if it once doubled as a gunner's pit, yet all of the explosives are missing, leaving only the honeycombed salvo. As more and more clues piece themselves together, you can only guess that, from the amount of green-tinted metal, that several of the forest-shaded ships attempted to assault a single, large crimson ship, only to tear them both apart in the process. Any and all with any knowledge of weaponry can only guess at the sheer amount of currency the red ship, which seems to've been a private ship, alone could've costed, from all the shattered pieces of weaponry bearing it's color. The signals become more desperate, and you can guess the pod has seen you. Edit: (( Only the lifetime of the explosions, oxygen being plentiful, but oil not. The effects of "lots of heat" combined with "stuff that burns" are obvious, I hope. And once again, sorry Acaed. ))
Jordan Task 08-15-03, 07:26 AM	Near the wreck a shadow detacthes itself from the treeline. Task moves with incredible, nigh supernatural stealth. His M213 Carbine rests comfortably in the crook of his arm, and he surveys the crash site through his multi-optics, first light-amp, then Infrared then UV. He subvocalizes into his communicator, "In position near the western flank of the crashsite. All seems in order. No sign of movement, no sign of hostiles. It looks like a shipreck, Captain. I'm going to circle the wreckage and get a view from the east. Stand by......"
Acaed 08-15-03, 12:35 PM	((Well, just to clarify, let's just assume that the Mira landed on this forest planet, and send out Task and Nick to investigate. But please, everyone, don't assume thing here. I'm the DM, I need to keep on track of where people are and what they are doing. Please, please don't try to advance the plot until I've given the go-ahead, okay? I mean, what happened to the Mira landing? What if it blew up in the stratosphere? You could have ruined the plot. So please, let me do my job. Note: I'm not yealling at anyone, or trying to be mean. I'm just a lil concerned, that's all...))
Gene_Kynes 08-15-03, 01:47 PM	((*sniffle.* I didn't read that part. Alright...I'll shut up. :) Just tell me when it'd be best fer me to post in an OOC note, ah? *mioves to alter his post.*))
Acaed 08-15-03, 02:51 PM	((Gene, it's fine you did that, just next time, email it to me at aseal0105@mail.com when you are going to be away and need to post. And hey, that goes for all you great players.))
Traveler 08-18-03, 11:35 AM	At one point during the hullaballoo, Ariya bent close to Vargas. "I want to talk to you. Come down and knock on my door when you can. This is important." And then she leaves.
Acaed 08-18-03, 11:43 AM	Arik radioes out to Task and Nick: "Okay, you two. Advance, but do not go within 50 meteres of the wreck. I want to do a remote scan using the bio-sensors on your suit, Task." Vargas, meanwhile, goes down to the crew quarters, walking down the white, brightly-lit halls to Ariya's room. knock-knock-knock The sound echoes throughout the empty back of the ship... everyone else is up in the command bay...
Traveler 08-18-03, 11:49 AM	She opens the doors to her quarters from her place at her round table. "Hello Vargas," she says with a smile. "Please come in." She has changed out of the dress and into half pants and a loose shirt. Her feet are bare. The room now has some of her personal affects on display. The closet is full of clothes. Some artful decorations have been hung etc.
Acaed 08-18-03, 11:51 AM	"Seems you've made yourself at home," Vargas notes. He sits down at the round table. "You wanted to talk to me?"
Traveler 08-18-03, 11:58 AM	"Thank you, and yes." She looks at him. "I found this in an old file back at the base. " She pushes him a reading pad across the table. "It is interesting, I think."
Acaed 08-18-03, 12:05 PM	He takes the pad and flips it around so he can read it. He growls. "Where did you find this?!" "I paid a lot of money to have this buried..."
Traveler 08-18-03, 12:09 PM	She smirked. When Mackey asks for something form the bottom of a whole even the deepest of pits tend to cought it up. Aloud she said, "In some circles I am very hard to refuse. Anything you want to add to the account? There are two sides to every story, after all."
Gene_Kynes 08-18-03, 03:51 PM	As the men approach the remains of the hull, they notice a single machine gun vaguely aiming at them, it's lifting mechanism too damaged to gain a steady bead. Arik's scan reveals a single living thing within, and the fading heat signals of one other...formerly alive being. However, the scan is no longer needed to gain insight on what's within the pod when the thick metal door gives a loud hiss of depressurization. Moments after the hissing stops, sounds of an overly-secure locking mechanism slowly opening is heard, even at Task and Nick's distance. When the door opens, a single figure steps out of the twisted maze of wires, ambigous black containers, and survival gear that obviously fell from their slots in the pod. Standing at a very rough six foot, garbed in a tan cloak and a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, he seems lightly armed. An odd-looking pistol strapped to his theigh catches your attention, spaced into three cyliandrical bronze-colored sections inscribed with...what seems to be red runes. A primitive-looking loading clasp at the back giving the impression of either a weapon that's powerful enough to be single-shot in these times, or a wielder who's stupid enough to carry a single-shot pistol. His pants are a simple black, tucked into equally dark-colored shoes. The closer he carefully approaches, the more you notice blue gloved hands wielding a pistol at Nick, dark blue eyes narrowed at the large man. His hair is the same firey red as the ship, concealing the top of his eyes and his forehead in a shaggy styling. You notice twin scars leading from the lower end of his eye socket, curving down to his upper jaw. He seems quite young, in his early twenties. Looking the more approachable of the two, Task, he says in a voice loud enough to be heard: "If you two're here to finish what your...buddies, were too inept to do, I'd suggest running. If not...well, forgive such a rude greeting." Still not trusting Nick, he flicks a small switch on the pistol, and it's barrel increases twofold, his eyes remaining narrowed. If these guys are pirates...then they're gettin' bigger thugs.
Jordan Task 08-19-03, 06:41 AM	Task goes down behind some debris as the pod opens, keeping his weapon trained on the pod. We have movement Captain. Stand by. Task re-target's his weapon on the one who emerges from the pod, GET YER HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE 'EM!!!! NOW!!!!! We're from the Mira. We're responding to a distress call. If you didn't send it, we've got no business with you.
Gene_Kynes 08-19-03, 01:53 PM	A cocky smirk crosses the man's features as his lengthened pistol is found aiming itself at Task. Upon hearing the man's explaination, the barrel then collapses, and is slipped into...his wrist, appearently. "No need to scream like a berk, friend. And you can see my hands just fine from where they are." Crossing his arms, he slowly takes steps towards the pod. "...and yeah, I sent that distress signal. Good t'know humanity still has some decency. Should I just snatch m'stuff?" Casually saying, pointing towards the a section of green hull. "I got myself into some...difficulties, with a particularly tenacious bunch."
Jordan Task 08-19-03, 02:04 PM	Lower's his weapon and relaxes somewhat, are there any other survivors? D'you need medical attention?
Gene_Kynes 08-19-03, 02:53 PM	Dissapearing into the pod, he doesn't reply to Jordon. When he slips back out, he has two simple, large black cases, and a simple mesh backpack hanging on his wrist. "None. I was in lower hull, making sure they couldn't force a boarding on us when I noticed th'bloody missles. Ugh. I didn't know they'd invest so much into taking us out." He walks towards the men, and you notice his shirt's arms and torso has been stained crimson from within. "I'm breathing, and I've gone enough endomorphins in my system to keep my 'appy for a while. Name's Gene, by th'way." At his mention of endomoprhins, you notice several dermatodes neatly lined up on his left wrist, the shirt pulled up to his mid-forearm. Following Task's gaze, still distrusting the large, armor-clad man, he sighs. "I'm not an addict, so don't worry about me being bad luggage." Grinning weakly, he then glances around, the expression fading as he observes the red shards of the appearently victorious ship.
Jordan Task 08-19-03, 05:16 PM	Speaks into his Comm..... Mira, this is Task. We have one wounded, possibly severely. Could you bring the ship in closer for medivac please? Turnes toward Gene, I'm going to do a quick check of the wreckage, see if I can locate any other survivors or salvage. The Mira will be here in a few. Sit down and take a load off for a while.
Acaed 08-19-03, 06:21 PM	Arik replies to Task: ---"He looks okay. Bring him in."--- There is no more communication from the Mira. Task can tell, however, that all Arik did was close his end of the connection. So if he needs to contact the mira, he still can.
Gene_Kynes 08-19-03, 07:56 PM	Shrugging, he sits down on one of the plain cases, letting the pack and other case slide off to the ground as he examines the dermatodes. For good measure, he sticks another one onto his wrist from a concealed pocket at his waist, before waiting for this "Mira". As Task enters the largest piece of the wreckage, the cave-like remanants of the lower hull, he finds the fate of both crews in Gene's tale of an attempted boarding. Whomever attacked the ship, was amazingly orderly in uniform, dark green with unsettling white porcelian masks with unique patterns covering their features. Thier corpses lie strewn about the wreckage, heavily burned from the flares, some plates of armor outlasting their wielder's remains. The only crew of the red ship seemed to be very few, roughly six, including Gene. A woman's corpse lies in a mess of shell casings from her appearent weapon, a mounted machine gun. Looking sideways, where the cieling would be, the man finds a grating, one area of railing being twisted beyond regonition, where he would guess the weapon to be mounted. A rather modest amount of weaponry lockers are about the forest floor, about half of them salvagable. A large amount amount of green-garbed corpses, the occaisonal uniquely dressed crew member joining them are more numerous, and due to their condition..one could only guess at the battle taking place in the atmosphere. A bullet-riddled sack of salt conceals a pile of datadisks within the hull, and some of the food rations are salvagable. In other pieces of the wreckage, personal belongings ranging from a golden heart-necklace with what could only be the woman posing with a deeply tanned man, who you identified as a corpse near one of the gun pods, to a single patch of "Special Forces: We love the night life" catches Task's eye, bringing attention to a black zip-up leather jacket, a single framed photo depicting two rows of men posing with weapons as varied as their owners in front of a nearly obsolete Helicopter within the garment's folds. Shattered pieces of a steel chest reveal a pure silver ring, and a medal display case, telling the tale of a man who didn't die for his country, but made the others die for their country, many, many times. A high-security closet, which has been cracked open by the ship's fall, reveals delicate Old Terra shurikens, each star holding the depiction of a dragon encircling the centre hole. Other than the previously stated items, nothing else unique can be found from the ships. All of the green ships contain only standardized weaponry. If Task makes a round of things, returning to Gene once he completes his search, he finds Gene trying to pull a very large cyliander from the side of the ship, from a previously unseen hatch. "Gimme a hand with this, will you? An' if you're wondering what he did t'get equipment like this...well, one of us was born into a rich family, the other had enough pension from the government to live very comfortably, two of us were traders, and one o'us were bounty hunters. No point in keeping a secret when y'can just leave me here, now is there?" He winks, and then struggles to pull the device out once again, the object halfway through.
Jordan Task 08-20-03, 06:45 AM	Grabs the cylindar and hauls it out, Don't really need to know all that. C'mon. The Mira's here. We should get you aboard. Speaks into the comm again, Arik, tell Captain Vargas we're bringing in one survivor, and let him know there's a TON of salvageable weapons and ammo out here, along with some other stuff. Ask him if he want's us to leave it or come back for it.
Gene_Kynes 08-20-03, 01:07 PM	As the cyliander pops out, Gene goes out to the back of it, and disconnects it from a sturdy cable. Dragging it slowly behind him. Seeming much calmer now; he says: "Last time I didn't say what we were, though, and the local law enforcement were convinced we were assassins. We were just transporting weaponry, it's not like we could use all of that standard-issue...crap. But...eh. Feel free to loot the merchandise, half of it's defective, anyway." He sighs, and then gives up on carrying the heavy cyliander, which seems almost as large as him. "******* thing. An' I'd rather you left most of this alone. You don't know which missiles have defective detonators, an' which pistol'll backfire, ah?" He offers a small grin, before collapsing against his large burden.
Acaed 08-21-03, 03:27 PM	Arik radioes to Task: "Roger, bring him in. Leave the supplies, though, they may be contaminated."
Acaed 08-21-03, 04:08 PM	Vargas sighs. "So what? Ma crew left me high and dry...they didn;t approve of my 'condition'.
Jordan Task 08-21-03, 04:30 PM	Copy that. Returning to the ship. He glances over at Gene Can you walk? D'ya want a stretcher?
Traveler 08-21-03, 04:42 PM	"Didn't approve?"
Acaed 08-21-03, 04:50 PM	"Called me a freak and left with the ship and the bounty."
Datieveh Veykayan 08-21-03, 04:53 PM	((sorry))
Gene_Kynes 08-21-03, 06:24 PM	"I'm no cripple. These Endomorphs're makin' me feel fantastic. All I got was a cut across th'chest, buddy. Nothin' more." He picks up his luggage once more, and moves towards the Mira. "So, whatcha name? You're decked out like you're expectin' a war."
AstrineNastril 08-23-03, 12:25 AM	*Astrine waits politely by the com station for Arik (assuming he's using the com station) to let Astrine take her station. If Arik is some place else, Astrine slides into her seat and removes the suit she was wearing down to her waist as before.* ((sorry, I've been having some computer problems and I consulted someone else resently, but we had some problems getting together. This should be the last absence by me (knock on wood) )) [edit: wrong pronouns]
Jordan Task 08-23-03, 03:20 AM	Right. Lets roll. Ship's 'bout a quarter mile due west.
Gene_Kynes 08-23-03, 11:43 AM	"Damn. I'm in for a real short hike, then." Seeming as if he an innate compass, Gene heads west.
Carefree Butterfly* 08-23-03, 01:59 PM	Yat waits for any interesting news as he gets around to cleaning his guns. It has been a while since he had done so.
Acaed 08-27-03, 08:20 AM	((Cough*Cough))
Traveler 08-27-03, 09:25 AM	She is smiling. "Well fortunately for you, this crew does not seem too particular about such things."
Gene_Kynes 08-28-03, 09:20 PM	Clutching his chest, Gene looks towards Task. "Things're wearing out pretty fast. And you never did tell me your name." Shifting a case with the bookbag, he ignores the slowly thawing pain in his chest.
Acaed 08-29-03, 08:37 AM	Vargas smiles. "I know. Ever after that incident, I made sure I picked good crews."
Acaed 09-01-03, 09:32 AM	((cough))
nick012000 09-08-03, 03:16 AM	(OOC: I'm still here. Waiting for something to happen.) Nick stands, and waits for something to happen.
Acaed 09-08-03, 08:36 AM	((Well? Nick and I are still here, that's...two.))
Gene_Kynes 09-08-03, 09:22 PM	(( *glances towards Task. Shrugs.* All that's goin' on basically hinges on Traveller and Task. Unless somethin' else happens, that is. ))
AstrineNastril 09-09-03, 06:02 AM	((I'm here as well.))
Jordan Task 09-09-03, 07:03 AM	((Sorry. I've been having trouble with this account lately.)) Name's Task. Jordan Task. Colonel Jordan Task. Retired. You sure you can walk, son? Let's move. They cover the short distance to the ship.....
Gene_Kynes 09-09-03, 06:09 PM	"Name's Task. Jordan Task. Colonel Jordan Task. Retired. You sure you can walk, son? Let's move." "Nice meeting you, Jordan. And...please, don't call me 'son'. I hate to sound ungrateful...I..I just respect the dead more than I should." When they arrive at the ship, Gene softly smiles...and looks around for an enterance. "Nice ship...it yours?"
Acaed 09-22-03, 05:22 PM	The radio crackles in Task's ear: "Task? It's Arik. We've got something headed this way on the scanner, and it's BIG. Get inside, all three of you!"
Jordan Task 09-23-03, 06:35 PM	Glances at Gene, Nope. Belongs to Captain Vargas. He's on board. Reaches over and triggers the door release. As the hatch swings open he motins for Gene to enter, after you. He speaks into his radio mic, copy that Arik. We're on board now. Start the lauch sequence.
Acaed 10-03-03, 08:56 AM	"Roger that, Task. Lifting off..." The door behind Task and Gene closes with a hiss, and the Mira takes off smoothly.
Acaed 10-08-03, 11:58 AM	*cough*
Acaed 10-09-03, 11:46 AM	((Sadly digs a shallow grave, pitches this story in, and covers it up with dirt. "You will always be fondly rememebered, old friend..."))