Stare Long Into The Void

[apocalypticCritic]

Space. It's big and empty, encompassing most of the known universe, save for the parts that are planets or stars. Sapient creatures have always looked up from the surface of their home, wondering what is out there. They build observatories, and eventually space ships, and explore the stars.

Galactic civilization has spread throughout the Milky Way galaxy, and is turning its eye toward intergalactic space. Faster than light travel is achieved primarily through the use of giant gates, which form two way tunnels through space. Individual ships have drives that are capable of low range FTL travel, but for getting from one side of the galaxy to the other, the gates are the only way. Because of these limitations, piracy and worse are still huge problems across the galaxy.

So, what are you in this galactic backdrop?

A) You are a young colony girl, bored with the colony life. You're looking to join up with the next ship to land on your planet, and let them take you away from this life of boredom. (You get +1 to Mechanics skill and +1 to Communication, due to your colonial charm.)

B) You are a young soldier, recently given your own command. Despite this honor, you suspect somebody in the higher ups hates you, because your first assignment is to patrol way out in the ass end of nowhere. (You get +1 to Combat and +1 to Piloting)

C) You are a spacefaring rogue, targeting out of the way colonies and merchant ships in deep space. You tend to eschew civilization, because obviously your name is well known in the civilized parts of the galaxy. Lately, you've been trying to lay low, after taking a big score. (You get +1 to Combat and +1 to Security)

Here's a list of the basic skills:
Combat - Obviously, controls how well you do in combat.
Communication - Controls how well you communicate.
Piloting - Controls how well you control vehicles.
Mechanics - Controls your ability to repair damaged machines.
Security - Controls your ability to break in to secure things.

Each character starts with 0 in these, unless they have a +1 above. There are ways to train the skills.

There will be quite a bit of sex in this, of course. I'll describe the character you chose after she's chosen.

 

[Firehead184]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A, let's get off this boring rock.

 

[MrMe]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

B

 

[Genius700]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

B, I guess

 

[Minerve]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A, the Wind of change.

 

[maxentius-septimus]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A

 

[plmnko]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A

 

[apocalypticCritic]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

Alright, folks, that's 6 votes. I'm gonna call it there. Currently in the lead is A - the colonist.

Any votes that come in between now and when I post the first part, will be counted as half-votes. If I get a huge rush of votes for something else, I'll take that suggestion.

 

[xaero]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A

 

[apocalypticCritic]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

Vote Results: A - Colony Girl

You are Raina Simms, a young colony girl on the planet X37542-S, though most call it by its common name, Eden. It is a beautiful, young, garden world, first colonized a mere three hundred years ago. It was one of Earth's first colonies, and acted as a minor proof of concept for the terraforming process - it was already fit to support life, but the terraforming process made it even better for terrestrial life, allowing the planet to become the agricultural hub it is today.

You, however, don't appreciate the beauty. To you, the world is a boring reminder that your life is controlled mostly by men. You've been pressing your father for permission for months, begging him to allow you to travel to the spaceport and leave Eden. However, he insists that you will remain on the planet until he marries you off to some man you don't even like much (your words, not his). He says that the universe is a dangerous place for a young woman on her own, and that you should be happy to stay here, where you are safe. You've explained to him that you don't care about being safe - you don't want to wake up some day at 60 and realize you've never seen anything further away than the city you were born in. He usually shuts down the argument at this point, and ignores anything else you say.

You're tired of asking permission. Tonight, you wait for your parents to go to bed, then sneak into the bathroom. You take a pair of scissors, and cut your long, red hair short. It's a little messy, but it looks good. You dress in a set of your brother's old clothes - no more long skirts for you. It's trousers and shirts all the way. After settling a hat on your head, you examine yourself critically in the mirror. Your green eyes still look feminine, but for the most part, you look fairly boyish. You never had much of a figure - your mom always said you would fill out more when you got pregnant, though that thought made you queasy. Your A-cup breasts, at least, mean you don't have to wrap them down to pass as a scrawny boy. At least you have some slender muscle - being a girl didn't mean you got out of farm work. Well, not completely, anyway.

You step out into the living room, and sneak over to your father's gun cabinet. You quickly jimmy the lock - it was old and cheap, really more of a formality than anything else. All of the kids knew how to use guns responsibly. You grab his pistol - it was given to him after his time in the Navy, before he came back here. Hopefully it will do you some good, now. You slip it into your small backpack, along with a change of clothes and some foodstuffs, and slip out the door a little after midnight. The planet's twin moons are bright in the night sky, lighting your path. You head out toward the city.

Several hours later, the big city is in sight. You can barely see, off in the distance, small shuttles traveling from the surface and zipping off into orbit, and vice versa. You grin to yourself, and set off with renewed vigor, as the sun begins to rise behind you. Once you make it into the city, you...

A) Go straight to the space port, and try to find a job on board a ship.
B) See about finding a job elsewhere in the city, and working to save money to charter passage onboard a ship.
C) Enlist in the Navy - a certain way to get offplanet, though you'll have to hope you can make it through boot camp!

STATS:

Spoiler

Name: Raina Simms
Age: 19
Level: 1
EXP: 0
HP: 20(20)
AP: 0(0)
Lust: 0%

SKILLS:

Spoiler

Combat: 0
Communication: 1
Piloting: 0
Mechanics: 1
Security: 0

INVENTORY:

Spoiler

One Rail-pistol - the rails are guaranteed for 40 shots before they need to be changed.
Three sets of clothing - This simple, boyish outfit offers no protection, but at least it covers all of your bits! You have 2 spare sets, as well. (WORN) Armor: 0(0) Integrity: 100%
Simple rations - these rations were made by mom, for the men to use while out hunting. Simple, not very tasty, but full of energy. Restores up to 10 HP when consumed.

 

[freeko]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

C: Go for mechanics training in the navy!

 

[Firehead184]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A, let's get off this rock as quickly as possible, hopefully our basic understanding of mechanics and communications will count for something.

 

[Minerve]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A, let's get off this rock as quickly as possible, hopefully our basic understanding of mechanics and communications will count for something.

^

 

[xaero]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A, get off the rock asap

 

[MrMe]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

C.

Are girls allowed in the Navy?
Because you know... communal showers and all that

 

[apocalypticCritic]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

C.

Are girls allowed in the Navy?
Because you know... communal showers and all that

We'll cover some of those social aspects. But the whole galaxy isn't as backwards about women's rights as Raina's home town was. I don't know when/if it will come up, but Raina's home town was basically founded by a cult. Women were chattel and used mainly for breeding. The only reason Raina knows how to read, write, and math, is because of universal standards for human life, which the town had to follow, or risk losing their rights to their land.

 

[maxentius-septimus]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A

 

[Mc Swagger]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

A is it!

 

[apocalypticCritic]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

Vote Results: A- Head directly to the spaceport.

You enter the city, and immediately follow the streets toward the spaceport. The city was laid out like a giant wheel, with the space port at the center of the city. It was a huge complex - more than just a landing site for shuttles. It also contained communication equipment, for contacting ships in orbit, and controllers for the various defense drones that guarded the planet's surface and low orbit. The drones were more of a deterrent than a legitimate threat to anything meaning the planet harm. They would merely slow down a determined, well-equipped foe - but that may be enough for word to get out to one of the Navy patrols in the sector, and most pirates wouldn't dare tangle with a full patrol.

Of course, Eden itself was so far inside the "Safe Zone," the only real threat was from separatists on the surface already. And even they usually treated such an entrenched planet as entirely neutral ground. Eden was as safe as any planet came.

You arrive at the spaceport around noon, with tired legs and sore feet. It doesn't take you long to find the help wanted board - there was always some work to do. Sometimes, it was just a ship looking for a doctor to perform check-ups for her crew. Other times, an arbiter was needed to judge a conflict on the ship, or review contracts. Those jobs, obviously, didn't interest you.

These are the job listings currently available:

A: The Kindred Spirit is seeking a new crew member. Some technical expertise is required, but on the job training will be offered. The ship is a light freighter - small, fast, and not very well armed. It relies on speed and handling ability to get it out of trouble. These freighters carry light cargo - usually people who don't want to spend the money necessary to get a seat on a liner, or else food and other light cargo. The contract is for three flights, and it appears that the first destination is a small, newly established colony on the edge of the galaxy.

B: The Agamemnon is seeking a new crew member. No expertise is required, but the posting warns that there may be danger. The ship is registered as a light exploration vessel - designed for landing on uncharted planets and taking off again. It's probably actually docked at the spaceport now. The posting is fairly sparse, but the flight plan suggests the vessel will be well out of civilized space, exploring some of the less known pockets of the galaxy.

C: The Argo is seeking a new employee. The employee will be a waitress aboard one of the galaxy's premier pleasure liners. The liner is touring some of the far colonies, and will spend around three weeks near one of the larger colonies out in that region of space. Technically, the colony is unaffiliated with the Empire - but the Argo is privately owned, and so is willing to visit anywhere with the money. The posting is also lacking in details, but some of the language seems sketchy to you. The liner itself is a huge vessel - it's longer from tip to stern than the diameter of the circular city you're standing in. It has multiple decks, and is... well, it's a luxury liner. The ship is not very well defended itself, but the company is notorious for brutally hunting down any pirates who make the mistake of attacking their liners, and the sheer size of the vessel makes it formidable.

D: Troy is seeking a new crewmember. The posting is for a new member of the Red Star mercenary group. They are fairly notorious for taking any job, no matter how dirty, as long as the pay is good. Technically, they should have lost their charter long ago if that were true. The truth, therefore, is a little difficult to discern. Still, the job posting promises lots of credits - assuming you survive. There is no flight plan set, but the ship is registered. It's an outdated cruiser, probably recently auctioned by the Navy. It's fairly lightly armored, but the registered armaments are definitely formidable. The reactor was recently completely replaced with a new, much more powerful one. The new reactor would be able to power Eden in its entirety for years, on just a small amount of fuel. Definitely seems like overkill to you - but it's probably necessary to power those cannons. The technical read-out is more jargon than you're used to - probably because it's a military registration.

E: There are a few other postings on the board as well. [Pick this to get more options.]

STATS:

Spoiler

Name: Raina Simms
Age: 19
Level: 1
EXP: 0
HP: 20(20)
AP: 0(0)
Lust: 0%

SKILLS:

Spoiler

Combat: 0
Communication: 1
Piloting: 0
Mechanics: 1
Security: 0

INVENTORY:

Spoiler

One Rail-pistol - the rails are guaranteed for 40 shots before they need to be changed.
Three sets of clothing - This simple, boyish outfit offers no protection, but at least it covers all of your bits! You have 2 spare sets, as well. (WORN) Armor: 0(0) Integrity: 100%
Simple rations - these rations were made by mom, for the men to use while out hunting. Simple, not very tasty, but full of energy. Restores up to 10 HP when consumed.

 

[Genius700]

Re: Stare Long Into The Void

I vote C