Re-entry [Survival Scifi] [NC] [Still accepting characters]

Started by GloomCookie, October 01, 2011, 10:30:00 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

GloomCookie


The year is 2508, and you are aboard the CWS Winter Dawn, a destroyer on patrol in Sector 25, near the DMZ with Alliance space.  Things are going well, you haven't encountered any scout ships from Earth, your cruise is nearly up and you'll get to spend a little downtime on New Sydney.  Everything's going well as you slide into your bunk, confident that tomorrow will just be another day.

And then you're awoken by an explosion.

In the darkness, you scramble for your clothes, your gear, your equipment as the Abandon Ship alarm blares.  Emergency lights flicker on and off, and crew rush for the lifeboats.  You don't know what's going on, and don't really care.  Something bad has happened, and you need to get off this ship and onto a lifeboat before it gets worse.  You rush to the closest available lifeboat, jump in, secure yourself, and then feel yourself being jerked hard sideways as the boat blasts free.  You're safe.  For now.







This roleplay will focus on an uncharted world your ship discovered almost by accident.  Almost.  The planet looks pretty, but looks can be deceiving.  There's something down there that might be tied to why your ship suddenly blew up.  Hard to tell at the moment, what with you and a handful of survivors on an unknown world trying to hold out until reinforcements come.  But as you settle in, you'll eventually find that there's more to this planet than meets the eye.

Everyone starting off will be standard crew unless I decide to bump someone up to officer.  You'll have food and water and basic shelter provided by the pods, plus a handful of weapons.  Your first priority will be pretty standard, getting a base set up, searching for sources of food and water in case your supplies run low, and getting a transmitter up to broadcast your location.  After that, though, that's going to be fun.  Possible locations will include some alien ruins, a possible Alliance base, the Winter Dawn's crash site, and a few more.


Codex

Governments

Unified Alliance of Earth


Owing its existence more to necessity than any unified effort by the nations of Earth, the Unified Alliance of Earth formed after the third world war.  While the majority of missiles launched by the various atomic powers were destroyed in orbit, the few that managed to escape destruction left devastation in their wake.  Local governments became frantic, trying to keep their nations together while responding to the numerous requests for aid from their destroyed cities.  Many entered severe debt trying to pay for a bloated bureaucracy that did little to help and to get the necessary assistance needed just to keep refugees alive.

Fearing that their economies were on the verge of complete collapse, the European Union, United States of America and the People's Republic of China, the three instigators of war, agreed to end the war if only for the sake of putting their countries back together.  Resources began to be shared, though there was still lingering animosity over the events.  No one was quite sure of who fired first or why, but that became unimportant.  The three worked together and over time, this new found sharing of resources led to further talks, eventually leading to a coalition forming.  Other nations devastated by the war, such as India, joined the new found coalition, as did Russia.  By 2068, nearly every atomic power had joined the coalition, renamed the Unified Alliance.

With greater resources at its disposal, the Alliance invested heavily in clean energy such as fusion power, as well as exploration of space.  Space elevators were built, allowing cheap launches of satellites and space craft to repair the orbital infrastructure damaged during the war.  With facilities in space, the first particle accelerators were built in space, enabling anti-matter to be produced safely and efficiently.  The revolution allowed ships to finally travel to and from the various planets quickly.  With access to space, facilities were built around Neptune to access the plentiful hydrogen in its atmosphere.  The large tankers sent to Earth were cheaper than the expensive process of producing hydrogen from water or tapping natural gas reserves.

With fusion power came new opportunities, and a chance to build facilities in space.  One such facility was Luna 4, a research and development facility that pioneered hyperdrive research.  With FTL drives possible, the Alliance began to expand into the cosmos.  While early drives were slow and difficult to manufacture, by the 24th century they were common, with Alliance outposts and facilities stretching across almost 200 lightyears.  Eventually, this huge empire would split after the Social Wars.  While the Alliance is predominantly a trade organization, they have become the main military force for Earth.

Officially, the Alliance is run by a constitution with power over the military vested in the Chancellor of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.  However, in practice it is a continuous battle between the Chancellor and the House of Lords, who often try to usurp power over the military and leave the Chancellor as little more than a political figurehead.  While this makes for tense political infighting, the House of Commons often sides with the Chancellor, giving the Chancellor freedom to conduct the affairs of the Alliance as needed, rather than the often pack mentality of the House of Lords.  The negotiations to end the bloodshed of the Social Wars is one such example of how the Chancellor has the freedom to take unilateral action when the House of Lords digs a hole it can't get out of.
Coalition of Independent Systems


In 2412, the United Alliance of Earth was receiving reports of pirate and slaver activity beyond the 50 lightyear radius, separating what was officially Alliance space and what was considered Alliance Expansionary Space.  This expansion zone was considered lawless, too expensive to maintain when it was set in the late 2200s.  Afraid of illegal activity spreading to 'civilized' space, the Alliance Parliament expanded the official border to a 100 lightyear radius, building a new fleet of warships to begin to begin patrolling the vast reaches of human space.  Many colonies disappeared overnight after the expansion, their entire economies dependent on illegal trade, while others built fortifications to remain independent.

While some colonies were violating Alliance law, others just wanted to remain independent, to earn their own living.  When the Alliance arrived and began taxing the citizens, many staged protests and riots.  The Alliance treated most of them as criminals, and some marine units were quite thorough in eliminating this 'criminal' element.  The brutal massacre of Jacob's Folly was the final straw.  Many systems began uniting, throwing in together and forming their own governments.  This had the effect of making the Alliance fearful of a separatist movement, and began denying citizens their basic rights to 'protect' them.  The situation was spiraling out of control, since many of the accountability statutes hadn't been fully implemented for the frontier fleets.  By the time the Alliance had these in place, the damage had been done.

In 2451 the Coalition of Independent Systems was officially founded, drafting a declaration of their intent to remain independent of Alliance rule.  While some in Parliament wanted to negotiate and bring the systems in peacefully, others were demanding that these rogues be brought to justice.  A vote in the House of Lords was inconclusive, though a vote in the House of Commons was enough to persuade Alliance Chancellor Jacob Hodges to send an expedition to try and reason with the Coalition.  However, the Coalition made it clear that any attempt to use military force would be met with hostile attack.  Despite trying to insist they were there for peace, the expedition was attacked by a rag-tag fleet of tugs and private ships.  While the ships were outpaced, Admiral Anthony Pitts ordered the expedition to retreat except for a single battle-cruiser, the Saratoga, to continue negotiations.

News outlets picked up on the retreat, unaware of the single ship left behind, and this sent Parliament into a fury.  They immediately ordered Admiral Pitts back to Earth, making him stand trial for treason.  Then they ordered a fleet of ships to attack the Coalition and destroy it.  On April 14, 2453, the Alliance Third Fleet set sail for Harmony, the Coalition headquarters.  In orbit, they demanded the Coalition surrender or be destroyed.  The Coalition refused, and Admiral Veronica Hill ordered the fleet to attack.  While some of the ships did attack, others refused the order.  Hill then ordered her ships to turn on the traitors and destroy them.  Unable to do so, most of the fleet backed down.  Hill reportedly then tried to shoot her own Flag Captain for refusing the order, only to be shot herself.

With the Third Fleet now in Coalition hands, Parliament now had a problem.  The Coalition was gaining momentum, and planets were dropping out of the Alliance to try and remain independent or, at least, unaffiliated with the Alliance.  Fearful of reprisals, the Home Fleet was put on full alert, and the fifth fleet was dispatched to destroy the rogue third fleet.  The commander of fifth fleet, Admiral Gregory Thames, arrived over Harmony and opened a dialog with Flag Captain/Coalition Admiral Patricia Gates.  Knowing that two fleets going to war would result in thousands of deaths, the two fleets merely sat facing each other.  While Parliament demanded destruction, Chancellor Hodges flew out to personally meet with third fleet.  There, he negotiated a deal: the Coalition would get to keep third fleet, while everyone onboard was pardoned personally, and the Coalition would be allowed to remain independent so long as they didn't venture into Alliance space.

The deal was brokered, and while Parliament never officially endorsed the idea, the Coalition has kept the deal.  Technically, the Social Wars remain active, though a shot hasn't been fired in anger since 2453.
Independent Systems


After the Social Wars, many systems in the frontier zone joined the Coalition of Independent Systems, but a few have decided to risk remaining independent.  These 'wildcat' worlds are sometimes home to pirates, slavers, and other undesirables, though a few simply wish to avoid the complications of politics.  The most famous world to renounce all ties with other worlds is New Sydney, the only independent system that links both Alliance and Coalition space.  It is here that the DMZ begins, and most planets within the DMZ remain neutral at best, hostile at worst to both parties.
Planets

Harmony


Founded in 2138 by the Brigand Corporation, Harmony's name applies to two planets, both of which orbit around a common point, neither one large enough to claim the other as a moon.  The dual planets presented numerous opportunities for settlement, and both soon became home to millions.  The two planets are slightly different, with Harmony A being slightly warmer than Harmony B, though both are roughly on par with Earth.  Every 16 days, one planet passes in front of the other, creating a deep shadow that lasts for a whole day.  This often leads to wild parties on the dark planet, which calls them 'faux nights'.

During the Social Wars, Harmony's sizable population became vocal components of the policies and practices of the Unified Alliance of Earth.  They were eventually persuaded to draft the Declaration of Intent, detailing their desire to form a coalition independent of the Alliance.  For this, they were nearly set upon by the Alliance's third fleet.  Thankfully, the colony was saved when many crews mutinied, leading to the death of the Fleet's commander.  While third fleet remains in Coalition hands, some of its crew have used the Alliance Chancellor's pardon to return home, though they maintain a low profile and avoid military circles.  Those that chose to stay now help on Harmony, training new crews and helping establish Harmony's growing shipbuilding industry.
Jacob's Folly


"Remember Jacob's Folly!" became a rallying cry for the Coalition of Independent Systems when the United Alliance of Earth began its militant suppression of colonies in the frontier zone.  Colonies like Jacob's Folly were settled as independent worlds trying to carve out a living beyond the rules and regulations of Earth and its main colonies.  Like many others, it was found by the Alliance and told to conform to Alliance regulations or suffer punishment.  When the colonists voted down the Alliance, they were branded outlaws and terrorists, and many were killed when Alliance marines began trying to 'arrest' them.  In most cases, no such attempt was made, as many Alliance soldiers simply gunned down anyone that moved.  While the Alliance has certainly felt the backlash for such brutal tactics over the years, many in the Coalition understand that it was military commanders let loose with no accountability that led to many of the brutal attacks.  The few that were caught by Coalition troops were often executed on sight by angry soldiers.

Jacob's Folly itself was founded in 2287 by Jacob Presley, a mining engineer who wanted to start his own company, but couldn't pay the heavy fines and taxes common in Alliance space.  So instead, he and his company went into the expansion zone, hoping that the lack of fines would enable him to turn a better profit and eventually buy a moon somewhere in Alliance space.  However, before that could happen, he died from exposure when he accidentally cut his suit.  His wife, Juliet Presley, carried on and founded Jacob's Folly, naming it for her dead husband.  Within twenty years the colony was successful enough they could go back to Alliance space, but many of the miners had settled on the world and had even moved their families.  They weren't eager to go back.  So they stayed, and remained independent until the Alliance showed up.
New Sydney


Discovered by a probe launched in 2163, New Sydney was originally skipped for colonization and was left without a name until 2301, when a prospector looking to get away from Alliance space found the entry in an archive on Mars.  He named it New Sydney because it reminded him of Australia "without them damned kangaroos."  The expedition that settled New Sydney found that while the planet looked like a desert from space, it was actually teaming with ocean life, though terrestrial life was still millions of years away from evolving.  Still, the bacteria already present in New Sydney's oceans had produced enough oxygen to make the planet sustainable for human life, and the untapped soil took to farmland quite easily.

During the Social Wars, New Sydney was occupied by the Alliance Navy eager to have a jumping off point for their expeditions further into the frontier.  While technically Alliance space from that point on, New Sydney used the influx of Alliance credits to build a tourist destination, making it popular with the Alliance men and women stationed there.  After the agreement at Harmony, New Sydney declared independence from the Alliance, but remained neutral towards both parties.  Using the Alliance-built space station, New Sydney built a tourist empire, while also serving as a neutral point for the Alliance and Coalition to conduct trade and business.  In every market on New Sydney, stores are required by law to post prices in both Alliance and Coalition credits.
Ships

CWS Citadel


Originally commissioned by the United Alliance of Earth in 2447, the Citadel is now the flagship of the Coalition navy.  Stretching almost 4 kilometers long, her thick armor plates can withstand kinetic rounds from anything battle-cruiser sized and below.  Like all Alliance ships, she has a large kinetic cannon laid parallel to the keel of the ship, running the entire length.  When fired, the projectile leaves the barrel travelling at .1c, enough to obliterate anything in its way.  For engagements at shorter ranges, the Citadel sports five 4-gun turrets, two above and one below.  These cannons lack the power of her spinal kinetic cannon, but are powerful enough to deal damage to most ships even dreadnaught sized.

In addition to her own guns, the Citadel comes equipped with a full wing of fighters, 72 in all.  While most function as interceptors against other fighters, two squadrons of fighter bombers allow the Citadel to use surgical strikes on ground targets and against other ships.  The Citadel also maintains a company of marines, fully capable of deploying anywhere at a moment's notice.  Note: While the Citadel is no longer Alliance, her presence is deemed too important to take off-line for the necessary overhaul to convert her paint job over to the new Coalition standard.  When CWS Fortress comes online in 2510, the Citadel is expected to finally receive her new coat of paint.
CWS Winter Dawn


Commissioned in 2481, the CWS Winter Dawn is the first destroyer to roll out of the newly completed Harmony Yards.  Based on destroyers from the Alliance's former third fleet, the Winter Dawn has to make due with limitations in current Coalition shipbuilding practices.  Lacking the length for a spinal kinetic cannon, the Winter Dawn instead makes use of the Coalition's own version of the Lancer missile, the Bolt.  Fired from shortened kinetic launchers, the Bolt uses this initial velocity to accelerate quickly to its target, where it detonates with bomb-pumped X-ray lasers that can sheer through thick armor even on super dreadnaughts, though they are relatively short and therefor ineffective against such heavily armored targets.

The Winter Dawn deviates from standard Alliance doctrine of specialization, preferring to go with a more generalized role.  The Coalition doesn't have the resources to devote a single ship for one task, and so much spend its resources carefully.  The Winter Dawn has a much larger medical bay, complete with equipment normally found only on much larger Alliance vessels.  It also has space for civilians, since part of her patrol route takes her by planets that rarely receive ship traffic.  A drop bay lets the Winter Dawn send tugs and small cargo shuttles to the surface of planets, to allow them to carry necessary supplies.  This design lets the Coalition reinforce their own worlds without having to build a special fleet of freighters, as they can simply supply their own ships in port and let them handle the distribution on their normal patrols.
Life Boats


Space travel can be extremely hazardous, both from the dangers of space and the ship itself from time to time.  Escape pods weren't considered practical on early space missions because of weight concerns, but after several disastrous missions, life pods became standard issue on all vessels travelling into space, and even became mandated by law when the United Alliance of Earth made it a right listed in their charter agreement.  Today, ships are not authorized to leave port if their pods have not been serviced in more than a year, aren't sufficient to transport twice the expected crew compliment, or are insufficient in any way.  While this has been used by corrupt harbor masters to extort vessels, the majority of cases are genuine concerns should the ship run afoul.

All life pods share two important goals, both of which must be carried out quickly.  The first is to reach a distance of 15 kilometers from the ship's reactors as quickly as possible, or the crew will be killed by the burst of Cerenkov radiation expected to be emitted by the ship's anti-matter stores.  Often called the Blue Halo of Death, the burst hits leaking atmosphere from the ship and emits a bright blue halo around the vessel that guarantees no one else remains aboard.  After reaching a safe distance, the pod then has to safely land on the surface of a nearby planet.  This is often accomplished by simply drifting into orbit and then landing.  In orbit, the solid boosters that propelled the pod away from the ship eject, letting the pod with the crew aboard safely enter the planet's atmosphere.

On the surface, the pod has one final function.  It often gets broken down into the components necessary for temporary shelter, or can be kept intact should the atmosphere be unsuitable for humans.  Most pods contain the basics necessary for establishing a small camp, though many ships also launch pods with no passengers aboard, filled with medical equipment, tools, generators, and other various equipment.  These pods often land first and establish a location is safe for other pods to land, then serve as small warehouses for the crew.  Some are even built with refrigeration units to preserve meat captured on a planet's surface.  It has been joked that if enough pods eject from a ship, they have everything they need to start a colony on some ammonia based planetoid somewhere in the abyss.
Technology

Kinetic Weapons


While the concept of kinetic weapons utilizing magnetic accelerators isn't a new idea, it wasn't until 2033 that the first practical way of creating high-strength magnetic fields of rapidly changing polarity was realized.  Built incredibly large, these early kinetic cannons were large and expensive, but had incredible range, accuracy and endurance compared with traditional ammunition.  Originally placed on battleships, NORAD obtained several and began covert tests to see if the new cannons could be used as a missile defense system both on land and in space.  By the time hostilities began in the late 2050s, nearly every major power had coverage by their own kinetic cannons, shooting down the majority of missiles when they were launched.  While several did get through, it is estimated only 1% of those missiles fired were able to reach their targets, the rest harmlessly destroyed in space. 

While the Alliance saw limited need for the kinetic cannons in space, research continued, eventually leading to miniaturized versions for use by tanks and other armored vehicles, and eventually individual soldiers.  Common in the military, both the Alliance and Coalition use standard 4mm tungsten rounds loaded in solid blocks.  When the rifle's trigger is squeezed, a ram sheers the round from the block, directly into the chamber, where it is caught in the magnetic field produced by the coils.  Because magnetic fields naturally spin, the tungsten round has no contact with the actual barrel, making maintenance notoriously easy.  The force applied to the round happens in a fraction of a second, accelerating the round to almost 3000m/s.  The rounds work better than larger traditional ammunition because when a round is doubled in mass, it only doubles in energy, while a round doubled in velocity quadruples in energy.

In the civilian market, kinetic weapons are common in Alliance markets and developed Coalition markets, but many frontier worlds find it easier to produce the traditional armaments rather than import the expensive coils.  One thing that sets civilian weapons apart is the way the weapons transfer heat.  In civilian weapons, coils must be allowed to cool down after firing, while military variants use a dual system.  Either the operator can allow the weapon to vent and cool down, or the operator can insert clips that absorb heat and can then be ejected.  The clips limit the sustained rate of fire, but can allow soldiers in combat more chances to lay down suppressing fire.
Anti-Matter Drive


A natural byproduct of particle accelerators, anti-matter is matter with opposite electrical charges such that it contains a core of negatively charged protons and positively charged electrons.  When it comes into contact with normal matter, both are annihilated in a burst of pure energy.  This violent reaction with normal matter is the basis behind anti-matter drives, which uses a clump of anti-matter 2mm in diameter released into a large tank of liquid water.  The results are astounding, as the water is instantly flash boiled into super-heated steam, which is then used for rapid thrust.  While faster plasma torch drives are common aboard military vessels, anti-matter drives are sometimes used as cheap substitutes for back-up engines in the event the main drive goes offline.  Anti-matter is also sometimes stored aboard ships in the event the captain orders self-destruct.
Gravometric Distortion


Hyperdrives unite humanity across the stars, but their foundations are built on the idea that gravity can alter and manipulate the entire fabric of the universe.  Scientists were often puzzled by the strange clumps of mass-less gravitational fields coursing through the universe until a chance experiment at the Luna 4 research institute produced the first artificially generated dark matter.  Dark matter, it turned out, was clumps of free-moving gravitons that could be manipulated and used.  When Dark Matter encounters Cerenkov radiation, it has the strange property of becoming a gravity neutral particle.  This particle is then controllable via electro-magnetic fields to either increase or decrease a ship's mass.

When this altered Dark Matter is placed aboard a starship and manipulated into forming anti-gravity, it is often trapped within a large magnetic field surrounding the ship.  Ejected from the main engines, the particles travel in a large loop along the hull of the starship to a collector in the bow, often the kinetic cannon, where it is then funneled back through the engine and out again.  This constant use of recycling keeps ships able to travel for long distances, though eventually its dark matter stores will need to be replenished.  Dark matter itself is often bound to special alloys during ship construction, giving the ships artificial gravity.  While a few spots on a ship remain zero-G, the majority of a ship will constantly maintain standard gravity, even if the ship loses complete power.
FTL Communications


Communicating across the vast reaches of space without FTL would be a frustrating, arduous task.  The closest star to Earth, Alpha Proxima, is still 4.7 lightyears away.  A burst transmission taking that long would be impractical for routine conversations.  Thankfully, courier ships relay messages back and forth from system to system, and sometimes from planet to planet, if there is enough traffic.  Little more than huge databanks with engines attached, the courier fleet schedules parcels for space on the next incoming ship, which quickly uploads its entire cache of data, verifies delivery, downloads the next batch of messages, and departs.  Often, the slowest part of the process is taking on fuel for the next leg of the trip.  While military vessels and their couriers are faster, couriers are the fastest ships used in the civilian sector.

The courier fleet is slowly being replaced, however, by advancements in hyperdrive technology.  Data is encoded and fired via laser at a relay located 1 to 2 lightyears away, channeled through a compressed hyperdrive corridor.  The laser reaches its target in fractions of a second, where it is immediately bounced to the next relay in the line.  While the system is still in the early stages of deployment, many of the courier fleet's main backers are trying to refit the fleet for physical parcel delivery of packages that are needed immediately in other systems.  While the demand will be much less, it is expected to vastly change the way information is transferred from planet to planet.

The military has begun experiments with FTL lasers for their larger warships, but for smaller ships, the standard method is to send courier drones with regular mission updates at specified periods.  In the event of an emergency, all courier drones aboard a ship launch and head for the nearest stars.  The onboard hyperdrive of a courier drone is limited, however, and reaching even a relatively close star can take weeks. 

Character Sheets Create one sheet for each character, maximum of three characters per player.
Profile image

Physical Description
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age: Minimum of 20[/b]
[b]Gender: Male or Female[/b]
[b]Height: Minimum of 5ft 5in[/b]
[b]Hair:[/b] Color and Style
[b]Eyes:[/b] Color
[b]Body Type:[/b] Athletic, Slim, Petite, Muscular, Scrawny, etc.
[b]Distinguishing Characteristics:[/b] Scars, Tattoos, etc.
[b]Chronic/Long Term Diseases:[/b] List anything your character might have lasting more than 1 month.

Service Record (Do not list if using civilian character)
[b]Years of Service:[/b] Current Age - 18
[b]Current Rank:[/b] Ask permission before using officer rank
[b]Ship Postings:[/b] Minimum of 1 year on each vessel and 6 months on Winter Dawn
[b]Specialization:[/b] For chiefs/officers only, listing unique areas of work (hyperdrive tech, navigator, etc.)
[b]Ship Division:[/b] Command (officers only), Operations, Engineering, Medical, Marines, Weapon Handlers

Psychological Record
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Pet Peeves:[/b]
[b]Tendencies:[/b]
[b]Outlook on Life:[/b]
[b]Religion:[/b]
[b]Family Status:[/b]

Civilian Information (For civilian characters only)
As a civilian aboard a warship, your presence is at the discretion of the Captain.  While the Winter Dawn does carry a team of civilian officials, they are subject to the rules and regulations of the Coalition.
[b]Reason for being on the Winter Dawn:[/b] List a valid reason.  The Winter Dawn keeps a small civilian team for civilian legal matters on worlds without established law enforcement, scientists exploring new worlds, passengers heading for remote colonies, and other reasons.


OOC Thread
Chapter I: Planet Fall
Chapter II: Foundation


My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

Latooni Subota

Hmm. I'm a bit interested. Would a mechanic/engineer rather than an outright soldier be okay? I prefer to usually play less combat-adept characters, and more support-oriented ones. :x
ONs and OFFs be here: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=64984.0

If I'm needed to post somewhere, PLEASE PM me about it. Sometimes I lose track of threads and need to be reminded about things.

GloomCookie

It's a starship so I imagine there will be plenty of spots for engineers ;)

Besides, on most navy ships the crews are mostly support roles anyway, with the actual soldiers being marines.  In this case, I'm allowing civilians as well, though only a handful.  Read the codex entry for the Winter Dawn for a reason on why.
My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

MissFire

Very interesting and well thought out idea! I'm definitely going to have to peruse the codex and come up with something.
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Scribbles

I love how much depth you've given the history and politics between the factions! Am definitely going to try squeeze into this.
AA and OO
Current Games: Stretched Thin, Very Little Time

Cold Heritage

Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

MarissaSeraphOfInsanity

Wow Linna, you always have such interesting roleplays. Will this be a freeform and what do you want on the character sheets?  :-)
"She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. I love her, and I must make her love me. I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes in pain."

Can You Cast Me Far From Grace? ~ Ons and Offs (WIP)

Sic Transit Seraphim ~ Apologies, Absences and Admiral Ackbar

Roxy Rocket

The Codex is nice and readable too. I usually just glaze over when I read setting descriptions but these ones work for me.

This is neat.

I'm thinking about a Synthetic (or semi-synthetic) pilot. So a spacesuit wrapped around a fleshsuit around a synthetic body that may or may not be wrapped around a real brain. Or if there's no original "normal human" behind the layers, the real purpose of the character would be a field test of synthetic people passing for real ones and working beside them.

(Actually, the part I really like about being a pilot is those nifty, sleek, spacesuits.)

*waggles her eyebrows*

Kakashiee

I'm totally up for this. I enjoy how in depth everything is.

GloomCookie

I'm glad everyone's enjoying it :D I updated the codex a bit with two new entries, including information about New Sydney, the planet the Winter Dawn was supposed to stop at after their patrol.  The idea of a synthetic does sound appealing, and the way you laid it out Roxy Rocket sounds like the Homeworld AI core built using a human brain.  Let me think about it and get back to you.  If we do, you might have to sit idle until they find the Winter Dawn's crash site.
My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

Kakashiee

Are you eventually going to make a character skeleton? What about weapons as well?

MarissaSeraphOfInsanity

"She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. I love her, and I must make her love me. I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes in pain."

Can You Cast Me Far From Grace? ~ Ons and Offs (WIP)

Sic Transit Seraphim ~ Apologies, Absences and Admiral Ackbar

GloomCookie

*giggles* alright alright I'll work up a character sheet.  Jesus guys, give me time ^^  Weapons will need to wait till I get home since I'll make additional codex entries as well.

My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

MarissaSeraphOfInsanity

Tee hee, you can take my enthusiasm as pure excitement. You always have the best sci-fi ideas  ;D
"She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. I love her, and I must make her love me. I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes in pain."

Can You Cast Me Far From Grace? ~ Ons and Offs (WIP)

Sic Transit Seraphim ~ Apologies, Absences and Admiral Ackbar

GloomCookie

Ok, character sheets are up.  I will say this: please don't create super soldiers or ubermen or anything totally off the wall.  Everyone is human here, and everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  Remember, I'll be keeping an eye on weaknesses because they'll probably come out during play.
My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

Roxy Rocket

Well don't go out of yer way on account of ol' Roxy.

*yargs in place of yawn*

If I really want to play I'll so something normal.

Kakashiee

#16
----------------------------With Armor-----------------------------------------------------


--------------------------Without Armor------------------------------------------------------




--------------------------------Physical Description-----------------------------------------


Name: John Crow

Age: 25

Gender:Male

Height:5ft 9in

Hair:
Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Body Type: Athletic

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Two bullet wounds to the upper torso
-Bite Marks on left index finger

Chronic/Long Term Diseases: Suffers from PTSD
-Anxiety before large battles
-Disturbed Sleep
-Flashbacks in extremely stressful situations

-----------------------------Service Record---------------------------------------------


Years of Service: 7 Years

Current Rank: Staff Sergeant

Ship Postings:3 Years aboard "Normandy" 4 years "Winters Dawn"

Specialization{Armorer}

Ship Division:Marine


--------------------------Psychological Record---------------------------------

Strengths:
-Determined
-Mentally tough {Despite having PTSD}
-Combat Expierence
-Cunning
-Good relations with most people on "Winters Dawn"
-Leadership Skills
-Small Arms and Light Machine Gun Specialists
-Strong Lower and Back Strength
-Incrediable Endurance

Weaknesses:
-Besides Weapon knowledge and some First-Aid he greatly lacks other skills
-Weak Arm strength
-Absent Minded

Pet Peeves:
-Can't stand people who complain about orders, chain of command, or their job
-Negative people
-People who are overeager for combat
-People who freeze up in combat {Applies to Marine Infantry and Combat MOS's only}

Tendencies:
-Bites Index finger when irritated
-Calm
-Clumsy
-Morally straight

Outlook on Life:
-Optimistic {Despite having PTSD}

Religion:
-None really but he does believe in Karma

Family Status:
-Father {46 Y/O Alive, Retired lives on large colony, Married}
-Mother {42 Y/O Alive, Retired lives on large colony, Married}
{Parent's not Divorced}
-Sister {22 Y/OAlive, employed lives on large colony, single, going to medical school}

MissFire

#17


Physical Description
Name:Miyoko Minamoto
Age:24
Gender:Female
Height:5ft 5in
Hair:Black, straight, single braid
Eyes:Brown
Body Type:Curvy
Distinguishing Characteristics:Star of Life tattooed on small of back, black with gold trim around the star and Rod of Asclepius in gold.
Chronic/Long Term Diseases:Allergic to dander

Service Record
Years of Service:6
Current Rank:Lieutenant
Ship Postings:Physician, 5 years aboard the CWS Citadel, 1 year aboard the CWS Winters Dawn
Ship Division:Medical

Psychological Record
Strengths:Studious, Adaptable, Hard-working, Goal-Oriented, Friendly
Weaknesses:Too focused on work at times, leading to isolation and exhaustion
Pet Peeves:Bickering, Anything she considers to be a 'waste of time', Pets

Tendencies:Can be very single-minded, working with a laser-like focus on one task. At doing multiple things at once she is less capable. She often works on one thing until it is done, no matter how long it takes or how unknown it may be to her. She can be excellent at figuring out new problems, but her hardcore work ethic often leads to her working immensely long hours and becoming physically and emotionally exhausted.

Outlook on Life:She loves learning, serving humanity, and practicing medicine. She has no current goals except for expanding her knowledge of medicine and becoming Chief Medical Officer on a ship somewhere so she can have her own lab and medical bay. She has no current romantic desires beyond quick flings.

Religion:None
Family Status:Only child, father deceased, mother retired
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Scribbles

#18


Physical Description
Name: Kagura Arakawa
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Height: 5'7"
Hair: Brown, Bob
Eyes: Auburn
Body Type: Slender with slight toning
Distinguishing Characteristics: None
Chronic/Long Term Diseases: None

Service Record
Years of Service: Two
Current Rank: Private
Ship Postings: One year, nine months on the CWS Citadel and three months on Winter Dawn
Specialization: Scout/Ranger
Ship Division: Marine

Psychological Record
Strengths:
- Close Quarters Combat, with the exception of grappling or wrestling
- Stealth, she's very adept at silent movement
- Navigating various and difficult types of terrain, including swimming and climbing
- Rifles, she can snipe with the best of them
- Swift and Precise Reflexes, can manoeuvre out of difficult situations, such as close-quarters combat or incoming fire, with uncanny ability
- Agile, her balance and flexibility are only trumped by her wiggling skills, which allow her to squeeze into the tightest spots or out of them
Weaknesses:
- Small and Medium Ranged Weapons
- Weak, easy to overpower if caught and can carry very little but the essentials
- Hot-headed, her impulsiveness has gotten her into trouble with command on multiple occasions
- Curiosity, if she hears or sees something interesting, chances are she'll investigate
- Lying, she's horrible at it
- Torture, she doesn't respond well to it, no matter what side she's on
- Leadership, the commands will get stuck in her throat
- Loner, she works better when scouting for the squad or providing data from an observation point than huddling with the pack
Pet Peeves:
- Taunting, she's quick to anger
- Abuse of the Weak, she dislikes seeing others pushed around
- Touching, it makes her uncomfortable
- Being Held, the inability to move is maddening for her
- Dirt, she can bare it long enough to do her job but is quick to scrub off all the muck when back home
- Attention, she dislikes being gossiped about or being the centre of attention
Tendencies:
- Fidget, when anxious or lying she will constantly fidget and avoid eye contact
- Skittish, when forced out into the open she can behave a little skittishly, jumping at every peep and sound as if a bomb will go off at any second
Outlook on Life: Bright, she is exceptionally optimistic
Religion: Atheism
Family Status: Struggling, the only reason she joined the military was to accumulate a few extra funds for home
- Step-Father, Haru Arakawa (48), a mining foreman...
- Mother, Kai Arakawa (49), works as a secretary for a small business. Once a citizen of the Unified Alliance, she had to escape to the coalition after leaving her husband...
- Father (Divorced), Keisuke Iwate (51), a high ranking admiral of the Unified Alliance of Earth...
AA and OO
Current Games: Stretched Thin, Very Little Time

MissFire

Huh. I'll bet Kagura and Miyoko know each other at least a little. :P
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Scribbles

Quote from: MissFire on October 02, 2011, 02:20:44 PM
Huh. I'll bet Kagura and Miyoko know each other at least a little. :P

I'm sure, seeing as they served on the same two ships. If you'd like to discuss a little history, conflict or friendship, let me know. Could be fun.
AA and OO
Current Games: Stretched Thin, Very Little Time

Cold Heritage

#21
Oh gosh Miyoko & Kagura! Such great profiles, you two! *boysqueals*

I wanted to use a picture of a Spartan for an 'in armour' pic, but I didn't know if that's be inappropriate.


Physical Description
Name: Anton Mikhailovich
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 6'11"
Hair: Brown, Caesar
Eyes: Silver
Body Type: Muscular
Distinguishing Characteristics: Ragged 'X' shaped scar over heart, with each 'arm' of the 'X' approximately four inches in length
Chronic/Long Term Diseases: Nil

Service Record (Do not list if using civilian character)
Years of Service: 9
Current Rank: Lance Corporal
Ship Postings:
- 2.5 years CWS Rodger Young
- 3.5 years CWS Modesto
- 1 year CWS Balance of Judgement
- 6 months on CWS Winter Dawn
[time unaccounted for in service period spent in receiving training and attempting further qualifications]
Specialization: nil
Ship Division: Marines

Psychological Record
Strengths:
- CQB
- Assault Rifles; Heavy Pistols; Shotguns
- Heavy Bone Weave Augmentation; Heavy Muscle Weave Augmentation; Heavy Skin Weave Augmentation
- Can engage in unethical/immoral behaviour without psychological trauma; knowledge of enhanced interrogation (from official and unofficial training)
- Resistance to enhanced interrogation methods (from official and unofficial training)
Weaknesses:
- Sniper Rifles & precision weapons
- Demolitions
- Sciences
- Presents a very large target
- While not claustrophobic, does not do well in especially confined areas
- Socially inept, poor empathy
Pet Peeves: Cinnamon. It should die in a fire or get spaced. Keep it off his food.
Tendencies: Inordinately favours knives. Rarely starts a conversation. People who make fun of his mother for being religious.
Outlook on Life: Cynical
Religion: Church of Space Christ, Star Saviour (lapsed)
Family Status:

- Vladimir Mikhailovich (father): serving six consecutive life sentences for muliple murders in the first degree on prison colony Lethe;
- Pietro Mikhailovich (uncle): serving three consecutive life sentences for multiple murders in the first degree on prison colony Lethe;
- Susan Brown (mother): serves as cook aboard the Star Child, proselytization ship belonging to the Church of Space Christ, Star Saviour;
- Thomas Brown (uncle): deceased, killed by raiders;
- Brock Mikhailovich (brother, younger): wanted on three planets for petty theft, fraud, assault, and manslaughter, current whereabouts unknown;
- Sonja Brown (sister, younger): married to a rancher on an agri-world, has two sons and a daughter on the way when the CWS Winter Dawn explodes;
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

GloomCookie

Hey guys, love each character so far!  I added a Technology section to the Codex, including weapons, how we manipulate gravity, and there's an entry on anti-matter.  I'll let you guys dread why I would need to include anti-matter ;)
My DeviantArt

Ons and Offs Updated 9 October 2022

Latooni Subota

#23
I have no image yet, since the only image I actually have found so far is an (admittedly good) anime-styled one, and people tend to give me the stink eye when I apply with those. ;)

I hope my concept for Sarah is okay? The idea suddenly came to me of a genius mechanic that couldn't get through military training due to medical issues, and used a lot of persistance and contacts to get herself on a ship as a civilian contractor instead. I really like it. XD

EDIT for slightly more details on medical stuff: Her conditions simply make surgery more difficult, and prevent the usual medical implants and such from working properly. The irregular heartbeat is only a problem during sustained physical activity or if she was stupid enough to smoke a cigar and have an energy drink at the same time, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and such.


Physical Description
Name: Sarah Laplace
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Height: 5'5"
Hair: Silver, straight, shoulder-length.
Eyes: Green
Body Type: Petite, Slight curves, Non-muscular
Distinguishing Characteristics: None other than her blatently dyed hair, and small surgical scars on her chest.
Chronic/Long Term Diseases: Situs Inversus with Levocardia. All major visceral organs except the heart are mirrored in Sarah's body. Complications from her reversed anatomy has left her with an irregular heartbeat, and the inability to accept normal medical implants to fix the problem.

Psychological Record
Strengths:
Emotionally Stable
Easy-going
Values Strong Authority and Structure
A Definate Team-Player

Weaknesses:
Mild Inferiority Complex due to Medical Issues
Too much of a Team-Player at times, leading her to be meddlesome.
Tendancy to become emotionally attached to strong authority figures.

Pet Peeves:
Bullying and Cruelty.

Tendencies:
Completely easygoing to the point of looking like she's being lazy, despite an almost hyper-active attentiveness. She tries to physically do as little as possible with maximum efficiency, in order to keep her body from becoming overstressed. She also has a bit of an oral fixation, leading her to chewing gum (or any small object) much of the time.

Outlook on Life:
Cheerful, but down-to-earth when it comes to serious matters.

Religion:
Agnostic Theist (Believes that a higher power/deity exists, but does not believe in any specific religion's ability to know this.)

Family Status:
Tabitha Laplace (Mother) : A cook on the CWS Archangel, a light destroyer in the former third fleet.

Captain Gregory Laplace (Father) : The Captain of the CWS Archangel, a light destroyer in the former third fleet.

Joshua Laplace (Older Brother) : Formerly a technician, he's mysteriously disappeared after a business trip to New Sydney.

Civilian Information (For civilian characters only)
Reason for being on the Winter Dawn: At 18 Sarah was denied entry into the military due to her medical conditions. Wanting to continue the 'family business' though, Sarah continued to apply for special exemptions, with the assistance of her Father. Due to familiarity with starship systems, and skills as a mechanic (and glowing recommendations from several teachers and enlisted men and women) she has been allowed to serve on the Winter Dawn as a civilian contractor.

As a civilian contractor she must obey all rules and regulations of the Coalition military, as well as sign a large stack of nondisclosure agreements. In exchange, she is allowed to serve on the Winter Dawn as an engineer and mechanic. She is in the middle of a three year probationary period in order to see if she's trustworthy and skilled enough to continue serving alongside the crew as a civilian.
ONs and OFFs be here: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=64984.0

If I'm needed to post somewhere, PLEASE PM me about it. Sometimes I lose track of threads and need to be reminded about things.

MissFire

Something tells me that Miyoko is going to be very busy with all of you for various reasons. XD
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi