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Post by Mephistel on May 4, 2023 9:40:14 GMT -5
CHAPTER I - The Crystal LagoonIn the universe, the stars were many, and so were the numerous people living across its many galaxies... From one end to the others, they would entwine, cross path and live. From the tiny planet of Curio to the biggest star of Armadia, a yarn of many thread would form throughout the millenias, slowly marching toward today. Some species had very short lives, only but a few years, such as the Kimilili, a dwarf species ressembling humanoids squirrels known for their art of the clay and the magnificient and colorful murals they would create in their village. Others lived long, everlasting lives, such as the Eldronians of the Ice planet of Hypharos, tall white colored spiders with a humanoid half body and silky long hair. Known for their trades of the clothes, they favor glamour and are known to be a peaceful people, despite their more frightening appearance. Very much unlike their cousin of the volcanic planet Destruknis, black and red of colors with poisonnous fangs that have been perfecting the arts of war for many generations. And so many many many others lifeforms lived and died among the stars, an ever growing echosystem led by the will of the Universe. It was in such an environment that humans met the worlds outside of their little blue planet ; Earth. Humans learned to travel in the immensity of the darkness, surrounded by its infinity of stars but also discover that they were not the only intelligent specie in the universe, which blew a hole in their ego, and so they have moved on to explore the vastness of the stars. But among those stars was born a powerful empire, the Goellia Empire, born from hundred of years of war and conquest...Many people suffered under their tyranny and their thirst for power was an ever growing one. Despite all that, one flag would always stand against them, a black flag flying the skull and crossbones. Wether it was for freedom or just the appeal of the loots such vessels would carry, the Black Star would never miss a chance to sink one of their ship. For some, it had become a symbol of hope and freedom, for others, they were just another pirate crew, and for the Empire, they were a thorn in their side that had to be removed. ................................ 34th days of the Lunar cycle - Harmonia Cristo atmosphere - Aboard the Black Star............ A small team had been gathered on the main deck where the First mate, Djack, a tall blond human with one arm was waiting for them to finish gathering. His clothes were colorful and would remind you of the people living in the desert, with their many intricate design and jeweleries. His semi tan skin was rather pale, but space doesn't give you that much sunshine either. His saber was sheated at his hip, opposed to his remaining arm and his eyes lay on the crewmembers for a moment. Among the people called there, Mika and Elise would answer present. They had been summon with a few others for a task they were require to help with on the planet the ship was currently hovering above. -Alright everyone, listen up, Captain said we are to go down and help some folk down there, they've been having issues with their Powerplant and some military forces have been causing them problems. Captain also handpicked each of you for this specific mission because he think you can contribute, so do just that will ya...-He started. The team gathered was comprise of around a dozen people at most. -The goal is not to start an all out war down there, were just gonna cause enough disturbance for the empire rats to leave the people's Powerplant alone. Details on the planet and its people are gonna be given to you while we are descending to the surface...-His gaze turned toward Mika and Elise for a moment. -Thats where you two are gonna come in handy...while the rest are gonna make sure you have whatever time you need undisturbed to deal with the issue.-He added. -Also, the Captain is coming along this time for some reason so look good will ya? So before we leave, any questions?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ooc : Welcome to your first mission aboard the Black Star, feel free to post whatever its been like for you in the past month since you've been around, note that you would have been given a tour of the ship and instructed on various things. You may have met other crew members or whatever and this is your first official outing
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Post by Ushima911 on May 4, 2023 11:54:03 GMT -5
Upon entering the Black Star crew, Mika went straight to work on anything she could get her hands on. She had heard of the Black Star Pirates before, but never really paid them any mind until she joined a smaller gang. She heard the stories of them, and always wondered how it would be to be part of their ranks. Now she was part of the famous crew herself, and she was going to see what made them so famous! She was extremely excited!
..turns out, people still suck. Whereas the crewmates were better than most, these people still had their issues and personalities that could rub someone like Mika, who had a short fuse as it was, the wrong way. The more days that went on, she'd go from a starry-eyed new recruit, to her extremely normal self. Still, this crew and ship had a HELL OF A LOT more positive points than her former crew.
The month would be spent getting to know the ship as best as she could. Requesting permissions to get into different rooms for "research purposes," getting denied, and requesting permissions again. (OOC: I'll need a list of rooms Mika has access to in the future. Nothing now, obviously. Just some time in the future.) Wherever she was given access to, she'd research all the tech in there, and see where improvements could be made to the ship if possible.
Of course she'd have some issues with whatever crewmates would get in her way, but she was obligated to hold respect for the captain himself, which she did even without the obvious obligation. She'd "play nice" with everyone, even if her "nice" was still a bit much for some to deal with. Still, it was a good ship with a good crew. And now, they were being summoned for their first gig.
"Heyyy...I was tinkerin' on some stuff for the ship, so hopefully this is quick.." She said to Djake, giving some unneeded attitude.
"Oh. A mission. Should have said that when gathering us. If the captain's okay with pulling me away from work, then that's fine by me. Needed to stop by a planet for resources anyways."
The mission details were given, and she had to scramble her brain to see where she'd come in handy for this particular job. Powerplant technologies and how they'd best go about doing a job involving the area.
"Cool that the Cap is coming, but uh...hey, Djakey.." She said pointing to Elise. "Is it really a good idea for the Plant to come with us? ..isn't radioactivity, like, uber dangerous to them or something?" She asked looking at Elise. "Uh, no offense, Tree. Just looking out for ya."
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Action 1: Technology 4 to think what I know of powerplants, and what they usually consist of.
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Post by Gris on May 4, 2023 17:24:59 GMT -5
Elise distractedly wandered into the main deck, wandering in her usual slow pace. It was hard to know where the plants started and the woman ended, because they were one and the same, and yet, always changing. One day she could have flowers blossoming from the sleeves of her white coat, others vines growing around her neck like a scarf. She wasn't just new to the ship, she was new to people in general, but she had been instructed that there were things like chains of command and orders and discipline that she had to follow. Elise didn't one hundred percent understand those, but she was happy to be there and to be of help, so her lack of knowledge on that front normally wasn't an issue. At best she was just a curious one, at worst perhaps slightly childish, even if she may be the oldest one around if you counted all her rebirths. She sure didn't.
As Djack started to brief them, Elise focused her scattered attention to him, even if it was tempting to look around and keep wandering, she behaved. His information about the task they had ahead was interesting after all, and had Elise excited about the prospect of visiting someplace new. "Handy..." she repeated as Djack mentioned her and Mika would become so, wriggling her fingers as they shifted back and forth between twigs, vines and actual human fingers. Perhaps with an extra knuckle or two. She was already pretty handy, but she wouldn't mind becoming even more so.
Elise knew that Mika was also handy already. Not that she had even the slightest clue about what she did, for all she cared it was all incomprehensible magic, but other people on the crew had mentioned her and how handy she was, so they were really well selected. The Captain was going to join them, seemingly a rarity, but Elise just went with the idea, as she had no frame of reference of why or why not was normal for the Captain to be there. Mika had words for her, or about her, she wasn't exactly sure.
"I'm smaller than a tree" she mumbled, before focusing on what to say. "Fire is bad for me, radica- raidoca- is that activity like fire?" Elise asked, having trouble to repeat the radioactive word. "I should be fine, I never seen a powerplant and I want to see what kind of plant it is. Also rats are bad for the plant, we have a few in the garden so we had to put up traps. So I'll come with, I can't let those..." she struggled to remember, "those empire rats to eat the people's powerplant" Elise nodded. "How does a powerplant taste like?" she wondered, more about the rats than herself, since she didn't really eat, not plants for sure.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12 Gear: LinkCom Watch, Stun Pistol (+2), Black Star Bandana (+1 Toughness) wrapped on her left arm. Action 1: - Action 2: - Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12
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Post by Ushima911 on May 4, 2023 17:58:20 GMT -5
"Good point. Uhh...Turnip, then."
"I'm...not too sure. It burns like fire if it gets on you."
Mika could have an essay's worth of words for the naive young plant. She thought the powerplant was a plant-like being, one with lots of power no doubt. She thought the empire's rats were literal rats, and that these rats were eating the power plant. I guess she's not TOO far off? But still.. Even so, the last statement solidified their definite success in this mission.[/sarcasm]
"Yeah, this is gonna go well for sure."
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Post by Gris on May 5, 2023 2:49:49 GMT -5
Elise tilted her head, there seemed to be some kind of miscommunication there. She had seen turnips in the gardens before and they weren't anything like her. "No, no, no" she tried to correct Mika. "Elise" she said, pointing to herself with an index finger. "Turnip" she added, raising the same finger and using her gift to produce a small one from the very tip. "Never heard of a powerplant and I'm curious" Elise admitted. "But I'll be careful with that burning ra-dia-tion" she said slowly. "Thank you" Elise smiled at Mika, nodding softly.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12 Gear: LinkCom Watch, Stun Pistol (+2), Black Star Bandana (+1 Toughness) wrapped on her left arm. Action 1: Mastery of Plant Life 1 to produce a little turnip. Action 2: - Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 11(+4)/12
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Post by Mephistel on May 5, 2023 8:48:29 GMT -5
The more Mika talked, the more Djack looked annoyed by her apparent lack of respect, even if it wasn't blatant, as the First mate he was still expecting to be given the proper courtesy.
-As you know, you have been noticed prior of the meeting that this would be a briefing on a mission, you should read your messages properly next time..- He noted sharply. -And this will be no time for shopping either...-
He added, letting out a sigh. He apparently wasn't of the same accord with the captain about bringing her on the mission, or perhaps even having aboard, this had been made clear many time, thanks to her ''temper'' but the Captain's words were laws, and so he had to bear with her. But nevertheless, he answered their questions.
-There is no need to worry about that, you'll understand when you get down there...I guess a smart lass like you should be able to figure that one out...-
He said. Turning his attention toward the plant like woman, he simply nodded.
-Its good to be careful, but believe me, you'll be in your element...now then...-
But before he could continue, he was interrupted by a thin and tall figure, stepping in. Where had he come from, no one saw. An elegant seemingly mechanical white hand that almost looked like porcelain pressed against the Djack shoulder as the man gaze lasted upon the crowd before him. His fiery red hair falling shortly in front of his violet irises.
-Alright, if were done with the briefing...we shall move on, we'll deploy two suttles...Mika, Elise, and myself will head to suttle number 1, the rest of the team take suttle number 3, we will rendez-vous at the designated coordinates on the ground, Bari Bari, you take command of the second group and pull the rats away from the powerplant, try not to engage in direct combat if you can, while you do that, we make sure to give the powerplant control back to the people...if there is no other questions, lets move out...-
He said.
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Post by Ushima911 on May 5, 2023 9:34:34 GMT -5
"She can make vegetables. ..wonderful." Mika nodded. She wanted to eat the turnip now..
"I got the gist of it... SHe said INDEED not giving him the proper respect! He hasn't earned it yet. Yeah, big shot "First mate" can bark orders, but he ain't the captain.
"Right." She agreed for the time being. They'd see when they got down there. She could probably sway the captain to allowing for a small amount of time to dedicate to resource hunting. Perchance.
"Aye aye, captain. While we're going, we can probably go over a few strategy points." She said ready to go.
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Post by Gris on May 6, 2023 3:57:34 GMT -5
Mika seemed to understand the difference between Elise and a turnip, Djack was reassuring to her about the environment they were going to get in, so it was all fine. Elise's attention did shift as soon as the captain was there. He was the one that named her, he was the one that took her to the stars, so she was grateful and had an easier time than usual paying attention and understanding orders. Well, mostly, chain of command and other social status cues were always complicated in her eyes, but she did her best to follow through when she was talked too, always assuming that the crew mates only wanted the best for her. "Yes captain!" Elise said cheerfully, following Mika and him to the smaller ship things, not unlike the one that crashed on her planet.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12 Gear: LinkCom Watch, Stun Pistol (+2), Black Star Bandana (+1 Toughness) wrapped on her left arm. Action 1: - Action 2: - Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12
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Post by Mephistel on May 7, 2023 7:19:05 GMT -5
The First mate let out a sigh, but apparently this was how it was gonna go. There was no more question and the teams moved out, heading toward the bay where they would get to their respective shuttles. Each of them could accommodate about 10 people, they were the smallest of the bunch and were usually taken when they needed to land unnoticed and silently. As they boarded, the Captain sat on the pilot seat, while aknowledging Mika's request of going over some strategies, while giving Elise a nod.
Mika had been pondering about what she knew of powerplants and her knowledge was limited to what she had seen on Earth mostly, she remembered tall structures with very big sprout of toxic smoke coming out of the twin towers. Very dangerous indeed and highly hazardous. Was the captain really taking them to that kind of place? They were usually used to provide Energy sources of some sort to the surrounding area, but then again, not the best choice for any environmental lover.
The Captain turned on the power of the shuttle as the two of you sit down and tighten your seat belt, then proceeded to get clearance and the shuttle launched itself outside, into the immense sea of stars and darkness while the gigantic silhouette of the main ship was slowly disapearing from their sight.
-S-1 to S-3, were heading toward 23-34...Tomalt region...be on your guard for the Gas worms...-
The Captain said through the ship radio after setting it to the proper frequency.
-S-3 to S-1, Roger...-
Then turning his attention back to the new recruits, he said.
-Hope you two aren't too nervous...as mentionned before, we are going to give the people the control of their powerplant...Jiju, the Chief tribe contacted me a few weeks ago because they lost ''contact'' with it...now, to let you know, the Kikyun tribe that live on Harmonia Cristo is more like a Hive and their Powerplant is somewhat like their Queen or something...but their connection has been disrupted by the rats...You'll understand better once you see it...from what I gathered, the Imperials are using high end technology to shut down the link between the Powerplant and the tribe, without it, they are bound to die...-
He pointed toward Elise.
-Your role is to establish contact with it and try to see how we can help, its probably gonna be frenzy and yes it is semi-sentient or something...-
Turning toward Mika
-Your job is going to deactivate any imperial technology entraving the Powerplant, I don't know how much they put into it, but I'm hoping your skill's reputation are on par with it.-
He paused, his attention turning toward one of the screen for a second, then back at them.
-Any questions? -
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Post by Ushima911 on May 7, 2023 17:52:19 GMT -5
"So long as it's tech I've dealt with before, it shouldn't be an issue. If it's tech I haven't seen or used before, then it may take me some time to crack it. I'll let you know when I'm looking at it, but usually deactivation is fairly simple stuff. I'll let you know the timeframe I'll be working with when I'm there looking at it."
"So if they're like a hive, and their power plant is their queen, they won't get pissed off at me for messing with the tech? I guess it'll be just like removing a parasite from their nest, but will THEY be okay if I'm messing with their queen? I'll have to get a little intimate with her, metaphorically speaking, in order to remove the parasite." She asked. "Also, do you happen to have a layout of the area? A map or something? I work better with visuals."
Kikyun tribe..Kikyun tribe..Do they have any tech that I remember working on, or heard about..?"
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Gen knowledge 5 (Rare & Famous weapons/tech) to see if the Kikyun tribe are famous/rare enough for Mika to know any weapons or tech she'd heard/worked on)
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Post by Gris on May 8, 2023 3:27:13 GMT -5
Elise may be very new on the ship and very green when it came to missions, but even her had been in shuttles a few times by now. Despite that, she still looked around with childlike wonder, not only because they traveled across the stars, but in anticipation of visiting a new place. "Life is a delicate cycle, a being's life can be interrupted by neglect or malice" she nodded, happy to have a chance to use all those words she had been learning for the last month. "But life itself, in one form or another, has a perseverance like no other" Elise smiled. "We'll find a way to help" she said with naive certainty, as she had no clue of what they were going to stumble upon. "Is there going to be fighting?" Elise asked when it was time for the questions. She had met the crew here and there, and many of them were readying things for a fight, or training for a fight, or similar endeavors. It wasn't like Elise loathed to fight, how could she, as she never had been in a fight and was unsure of what it entailed.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12 Gear: LinkCom Watch, Stun Pistol (+2), Black Star Bandana (+1 Toughness) wrapped on her left arm. Action 1: - Action 2: - Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12
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Post by Mephistel on May 15, 2023 16:21:24 GMT -5
The captain didn't move his gaze from the screen in front of him, but that didn't stop him from answering the question you had.
-I'm fairly sure you've had the chance to deal with imperial tech before, we've got plenty from our plunders...the main issue being how it interact with the Powerplant...since its somewhat sentient, I'm not sure how it will react, which is why I brought Elise...-
He said.
-The Kikyun are like...uh...well, imagine a very huge insect with plants growing on their backs...and their queen is more like a gigantic tree that nourish the whole land...-
As you try to think wether you've dealt with any Kikyun technology before, you are certain that you have never even remotely came across any of it, but you've heard of it and from all the bits and pieces you can gather, it was quite confusing. Their technology sounded like a marvel of fusion between tech and nature, but you'd need to see it to actually understand what they mean...no one could actually give you a precise image of the thing.
Turning his attention toward Elise.
-There will be some, but you leave that to the second team, I'll be with you in case said fighting reaches us.-
He said. Pressing a button, a holographic screen pops up open in front of each of you, showing a map of the surrounding areas. You can see a massive circle in the middle of the map marked at the Powerplant, according to the map indications, its probably over 25 kilometers wide.
-We'll be landing a bit away from it and take the scootz from there to reach the Powerplant, then wait for the other team to send us the signal when they have the rats attention...our goal is to reach the central control the imperials have put, its probably at the center of the Powerplant, but we have no confirmation of it, it would, though be the most logical location...-
A small dot pops on the map to show you where the shuttle us to land and where they are heading.
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Post by Gris on May 16, 2023 8:20:29 GMT -5
"So they are like people and plant at the same time?" Elise's eyes brightened up, as she had never met anyone that was like her. Well, she had barely met anyone at all, and no one up until a few weeks ago, but the feeling still persisted. Not that the people at the ship were similar to each other, but they didn't share the connection she had to plants, and that made her wonder if the ones they were going to help were closer to her experience. "Thanks" she did a small nod when the captain assured he would be around if a fight started. She had never been in a fight, until a few days before she didn't even know what a fight was, so she was unsure what she would do in that case. About what she could do or what she would have to do to help... that remained to be seen.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12 Gear: LinkCom Watch, Stun Pistol (+2), Black Star Bandana (+1 Toughness) wrapped on her left arm. Action 1: - Action 2: - Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 12(+4)/12
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Post by Ushima911 on May 16, 2023 13:43:31 GMT -5
"Okay....so one part tech, one part plant. I guess I see why you chose us two." She said now understanding the captain's reasoning for this small crew.
"Center of the plant makes most sense when it comes to the controls. We should be prepared to venture off if they're not there, though. Tech can be tricky sometimes. Especially if it's literally living technology like these guys sound. Even so, just getting rid of the tech from the power plant SHOULD be easy enough. ..hopefully. I'll need you to back me up if I'm in the middle of deactivating any imperial tech from the power plant."
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Post by Mephistel on May 21, 2023 17:13:17 GMT -5
As you keep chitchatting with the captain, you finally reach the ground and land without any issue. The craft sit gracefully on its legs upon what seems to be a large path of grass. Turning off the engine, the captain then lead you both toward the back where open the latch after confirming the other team also landed without problems. As the latch open, the captain press a switch, which open the two side walls, revealing two smaller craft that looked like motorcycle, but these didn't have wheels.
-So...one of you will have to sit at the back, most likely Elyse since you have no experience with driving, I'm figuring you might have some ideas on how to drive one of these Mika?-
The captain mentioned as he took down the scootz from the wall with a lot more ease then his thin frame suggested. These were fairly easy to use for anyone that knew about technology. To Mika, it was the classic shuttle smaller driving tool to go around, she had seen her share of it before. For Elyse, it was still quite intriguing how the wheeless bike could just float and move around. It didn't have wings like birds or anything, it just floated and was propulsed by some kind of technology.
-Who do you want to ride with Elyse?-
The captain asked, apparently assuming that Mika would take the other scootz.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- P.S. : Short update, but where getting there :3 please bear with me!
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