Re: The Dividing Line - Signup and OOC
Hi all, one more joining the fray, once the story allows:
Name: Caitlin "umm, Hall!"
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Description: Caitlin is fairly average looking, with hazel eyes, brown hair just over shoulder-length (usually tied back), paler skin, and a thin build with a total height of around 5'10", if she could stand. A tragic mishap in her teens left her without the use of her legs, leaving her confined to a motorized wheelchair. She has denied the use of cybernetic legs, saying that she prefers the wheelchair, it being more comfortable than walking everywhere. Usually friendly and an animated talker (when shes paying attention), she will quickly try to change the subject when asked about the cause of her paralysis, and when pressed becomes quiet and withdrawn, refusing to elaborate on it at all.
Background: Caitlin is every bit the scatterbrained scientist. She misses conversations she's taking part in, she doesn't realize when she's being addressed, she's constantly losing things, and so on. Once she does manage to focus on something, usually only something regarding her fields of study, the results can be impressive. At 24 years old, she's a newcomer to the science community, but already she's made two impressive breakthroughs. Unfortunately, she hasn't had the funding or staff to bring either to full fruition, and so spent effectively all she has on modifying an old gunship and fighter to use them, hoping to prove their worth and gain more funding.
The first breakthrough is in the field of propulsion. She has managed to harness the energy inherent in the universe to power a ship and create a field capable of manipulating or even negating the effects of certain physical laws around a ship, most notably gravity and inertia. The energy gathering and application is done completely by computer, needing almost no other equipment(effectively, the entire ship is the engine and the space around it is the fuel), but it has not yet been modified for FTL travel, so a separate engine is still required for any long trips. It can operate in atmosphere, but the required energy to compensate for the increased gravity that close to a planet increases dramatically. The maximum speed attainable
is theoretically unlimited up to the speed of light, but as the ship remains in real space, about 35-40%c is the maximum safe speed, as past that avoiding debris becomes an issue. Maneuvering, however, is instantaneous and amazing, capable of doing 90 degree turns and complex maneuvers with no loss of speed, effectively limited only by the creativity of the pilot. She has named the concept, programs, and everything else related 'gravitic technology'.
The second breakthrough is what marks her as one of the most qualified people (or humans, at the very least) to study the space-faring spores that have started to appear. Caitlin has genetically built from the ground up a symbiotic life-form that can meld with a ship and give it and its pilot some significant benefits. It covers most of the outer hull of the ship with about a foot thick layer of blackish-green 'skin' and a multitude of sensing organs, giving it a very creepy organic look, but allowing it to actually heal from damage on its own. It also melds onto the pilot, becoming his/her flight suit, allowing her to interface with the ship directly as well as giving some protection and rendering her resistant to virtually all forms of radiation (think sorta venom-esque, but unintelligent). The process of creating the symbiont is enormously expensive however, as it must be created to match exactly the genetic makeup of the pilot in order to work properly. It also requires a fair amount of space to hold 'organs' and such, though it has no digestive track. Caitlin solved that problem with a clever bit of backwards thinking. It doesn't matter what you eat, all lifeforms eat to provide themselves with energy. She effectively 'cut out the middle man' and feeds the organism directly from the ship's power. This also means that the flightsuit needs to be in contact with the main entity at least every 8 hours, or the pilot runs the risk of needing to grow a new one, a week-long process that requires the pilot's almost continuous presence.
Crew Members: None currently (unless "Bob" counts), though a science team of 3-6 could live on the ship
SHIP
Name: Concordance
Description: About 75 meters from point to stern, this heavily outdated Halcyon class gunship was put out of service 30 years before the last war and recommissioned for Caitlin as a budget platform for her experiments. although fairly slow and ponderous, the Halcyon class was best known for its massive ability to take a beating, there are records of ships of this class able to continue functioning even after 80% of the hull blown away and breaches on all three decks. The outer hull is honeycombed to make offending weaponry pierce multiple layers of protection at odd angles and there are support beams and emergency bulkheads all through the ship, sometimes even impeding travel in the halls. Caitlin calls the entire organism "Bob".
There are three main floors to the Concordance, as well as a small cargo area/launch bay in the back: engineering/research, crew quarters, and the bridge. The bridge was originally run by three people, although thanks to Bob Caitlin can pilot it alone from the overgrown center console. This floor also holds the captains quarters, where Caitlin spends her off time.
The floor with the crew quarters is also mostly overgrown, as this is where Bob has most of its internal mass. There was originally room for up to 15 people, but now only a single shared quarter remains, housing up to a half dozen people, if they are willing to be 'friendly'.
The engineering floor has been heavily modified, as much of the original engine and its components were completely removed, leaving only the Shaw-Fujikawa (FTL) drive intact. This was walled off and the remaining space has been turned into a near complete, although cramped, genetics lab. There is almost everything Caitlin needs here, with the exception of some of the larger facilities that can only be found planet side.
Weaponry and Shields: The Concordance still holds its original complement of weapons, with very few modifications. there are three turrets each on the port and starboard side, and two on every other excluding the front, all very small caliber and mostly for missile defense or harassing light fighters. the only armament worth calling a weapon is the Magnetic Accelerator System (MAS) running the length of the ship. The forefather of modern coilgun tech, this behemoth takes a three-quarter tonne tungsten slug and accelerates it to nine-tenths the speed of light out of the front of the ship. The drawback of the MAS is its exorbitant energy cost, requiring a nearly quarter hour charge time between each shot. This is also the only place where modifications to the armament has taken place. with a couple newer model capacitors, the MAS can fire twice in a row
if the pilot completely dumps the shield energy into the second shot.
The shield has been replaced with a newer, albeit still outdated, model, capable of about 75% of the average strength compared to similar shields of its class.
Unique Technology: Just the gravitics and 'Bob', both of which I hope I've explained adequately

The Pillar is a lumbering beast even with the gravitics, though it turns quite easily to line up a shot with the MAS. It can reach the 35-40% light speed maximum, but in combat averages around 10%, trusting to its ability to take hits and defend against lighter strikes.
SHIP
Name: 'Albert'
Description: A top-of-the-line Dagger F7 Light Fighter, engine replaced with Gravitics and a Symbiont grown on, affectionately named by Caitlin when she grew it. this ship actually cost her more than the Pillar to acquire, and has never seen combat. Caitlin uses it to showcase the Gravitics' maneuverability in a combat situation, as well as the increased perceptions and reflexes of a bonded pilot. This is also the ship she truly learned to fly on, never having the need before. She takes it out for fun frequently, whooping and hollering as she flies like a maniac around space.
Weaponry and Shields: Due to the increased energy capability, the RFC has been replaced with an older model coilgun, and the shields have about a 10% increase in regeneration rate.
Unique Technology: Same as the Concordance, Gravitics and a Symbiont.