Science-Fantasy McGuffin Hunt - Actively recruiting

Started by Chrystal, July 29, 2016, 10:39:39 AM

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Hazy Sky

#75
This one. I wanted someone a little bit time worn,  with the edges knocked off, but still handsome.
Looking for and accepting new stories.

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Kallax
The Midnight
WOLFCLUB

jeflint

                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

Chrystal

Uh..... why? LOL. I do hope you're kidding!

@ Jeflint: Just out of interest, what is that incredibly sexy creature in your avatar? It makes me seriously want to play with those boobies and possibly find out what is under the tail...!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Chrystal

Quote from: skyre on August 21, 2016, 09:43:15 AM
This one. I wanted someone a little bit time worn,  with the edges knocked off, but still handsome.

LOL, okay, fair enough! You answered the question before I asked it!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

jeflint

Quote from: Chrystal on August 21, 2016, 09:48:06 AM
@ Jeflint: Just out of interest, what is that incredibly sexy creature in your avatar? It makes me seriously want to play with those boobies and possibly find out what is under the tail...!

I've actually been getting asked that question a lot recently.

That golden scaled girl is my first fursona Mirlinth Loth, the translation is hidden flower jewel. She's half dragon half human. The picture is from one of the wallpapers we used as patron incentives before Patron was around.

The webcomic is at www.lothonline.com at some point I'll revisit the character for a proper fantasy novel. We finished the comic prematurely due to financial reasons.

My third novel that's going to be published here shortly was originally featuring this character before i dropped the furry aspect of the story.
                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

BeckyAnnn

Name: Valarie Hale
Player ID: BeckyAnnn

Position: Linguist
Rank: Civilian

Height: 167.64 cm (if she were able to stand)
Weight: 58kg
Hair Colour: Same as picture
Eye Colour:  Same as picture
Build:  Same as picture

Modifications: none
Distinguishing marks: scar on lower back from childhood surgeries

Age: 27 though could pass for 19 or 20
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Omni (by which I mean if the situation was right and the feelings were there she might be seduced by any gender or even possibly other species)

Skills: Linguistics.  Expert in many ancient and dead languages.  Foremost expert in the Centaurii written language among humans.  The spoken Centaurii language has never been heard by humans so speaking it at this point would be impossible.
Ability to analyze and improvise in unexpected situations even in the absence of modern technology.  Adaptability.
Ability to express herself clearly and forcefully when necessary. Will not back down when she knows she is right but at the same time is willing to listen to and consider another's suggestions or point of view. 
Weaknesses: Physical limitations.  Confined to a wheelchair.  Required to demonstrate her capabilities before being chosen for the mission.  Had to fight for her position on the team  in order to convince the mission coordinators that she was the best person for the job.  Had to Demonstrate that her qualifications and abilities out weighed her limitations.
Vulnerability.  Her physical limitations and limited natural mobility do leave her vulnerable in certain situations. She has made specialized modifications to her wheel chair (more on that later) that help but still, if a situation turns hostile, her limited mobility is a drawback.
Does not deal well with criticism, but that is because she is usually right.
Does not trust the "miracle of modern medicine."  Technology has improved her mobility but the marvels of advanced medicine has utterly failed to improve her condition. 
Distrustful.  She guards her heart very strictly. She is likable and social but not very easy to get close to.

Likes: Archeology/history: You can study history without archeology but you can not study archeology with out history.  Archeology is physical, tangible history.  Her interest in languages sprang from her interest in these two fields.
Exercising: It is important to Valarie to keep in good shape.  She opts to use a standard, human powered wheelchair as it is the best way to develop and maintain upper body strength and stamina.
Gymnastics: Goes along with exercising but more specific it helps her develop mobility apart from her wheelchair.
Dislikes: The term "Centaurii" because they clearly originated elsewhere.
Being underestimated.  Yes she has limitations and vulnerabilities.  She knows this and doesn't mind help with things beyond her limits but she becomes easily annoyed with people who want to do everything for her.  If you would not go out of your way to bring an able bodied team member their dinner then do not do it for her.  She can do it herself.
Doctors.  Not so much the individuals but the profession as a whole.  That is not to say that she does not recognize the need for them or can't be friends with one.  But at a time when "there's nothing we can do" is rarely ever heard, the medical profession has let her down. 
Showing weakness.  This goes along with her guarding her heart as she does.  She already has a physical weakness that she can not hide.  She does not need to show any emotional weakness as well.

Personality: Valarie is fiercely independent.  Do not make the mistake of underestimating her.  You will regret it.  She is friendly and social but can be hard to get to know.   She can be chatty and flirty in social setting though she has never been much for the dating scene.  That is not to say she has never dated but she never can escape the feeling that her date is only going out with her because of pity.  That has never actually been the case but it is one of her insecurities. 

The flip side to the Valarie coin is that she is very serious about her work, to the point of being obsessive it times. And she is always right.  Just ask her.


History: Valarie was born in 2070 to noted archeologists Stewart and Mira Hale.  She was born with a debilitating birth defect, spina bifida to be precise.  With modern medical techniques, the defect was completely avoidable had her parents undergone the recommended genetic screening before trying to have a child. The screening could have detected the risk in her parents' genes and eliminated it before Valarie had ever been conceived.   But they opted not to have the screening done citing the fact that even among un-screened parents the over whelming majority of pregnancies resulted in the birth of health newborns.  They were wrong.  Furthermore, the screening would have likely reveled the genetic blood disorder that killed Mira three years later.

As mentioned before, Stewart Hale and his wife both were celebrated archeologists and Stewart continued in his field even after her lost his wife and research partner.  For this reason, Valarie spent a lot of her childhood with a trusted nanny who the child loved and cherished more than anyone aside from her father. 

In spite of the fact that Valarie was unable, at the time, to accompany him on his digs, Stewart did not exclude his daughter from his work.  He took meticulous notes and photo records of the artifacts his expeditions unearthed and shared them with his daughter.  Valarie would spend hours pouring over the tiniest details of those notes and photographs and between that and her own research on line and through scholarly journals she began to develop a knack for deciphering even the most obscure languages and dialects.  This knack would one day become both her academic and professional pursuit. 

Valarie was continually pressuring  her father to take her with him on expeditions but he was so afraid something would happen to his precious daughter that he could not bring himself to take her.  "A dig site is no place for a wheelchair, my dear" he would tell her.  Hover chairs had been developed well before she was born but Valarie did not like them.  They tended to be bulky and hard to maneuver in tight places.  And they tended to impede one's self sufficiency rather than improve it, or at least in Valarie's mind that was the case.  She tended to like to do everything herself, including powering her own wheel chair.

But Valarie was not one to give up easily. When Valarie was 13 and while her dad was away on another expedition, she and her nanny enlisted the help of an engineer friend to make modifications to her preferred model of wheel chair.  When Stewart returned his daughter had a redesigned wheelchair with hovering capabilities that would allow the girl to transverse rugged terrain safely.  It was lighter, more compact, more maneuverable and more versatile than any hover chair on the market.  Lift was achieved with five very compact but very powerful turbines. Motion was controlled with a small joy stick positioned on the left side of the chair (Valarie is left handed) and could be tucked out of the way when not in use.  The turbines were mounted under the chair, the wheels giving them about two inches of ground clearance when not in use.  Directional controls was achieved by directing more power to the appropriate turbines.  If one wanted to move forward one would push the joystick forward and more power would be directed to the two turbines mounted on the two back corners of the chair.  Likewise, if one wanted to move to the right one would move the joystick in that direction and more power would be directed to the two turbines mounted on the left side of the chair.

The idea was all well and good but the power was going to be a problem.  The original idea was for the rider to be able to just flip to hover mode and go.  But the batteries or gas engine and tank required to power such operation would sacrifice  the chair's maneuverability  both in hover mode and manual mode.  That was not what Valarie wanted at all.  So the decision was made to sacrifice hover time for a more compact and light weight chair.  The hover capability highly restricted lasting up to only one minute, more than enough time to get the rider over what one might consider a reasonable obstacle on uneven walking path.    Basically it allowed the rider to float over any obstacle that the average hiker would be able to step over with little effort. The turbines themselves were powered by four batteries mounted under the chair as well.  These were the heaviest part of the upgrade but not so heavy as to be a major hindrance to the manual operation of the chair.  The power required to hover the chair and rider even a short distance drained the batteries to fifty percent very quickly.  The power drain was limited to fifty percent for safety reasons. This was to prevent the situation where the rider was stranded in a situation with zero power and no way to manually move the chair out of the situation.  This feature could be over ridden manually in order to access that remaining  fifty percent power but there was no way to "accidentally" use up all the battery power.

The batteries had a two part charging system.  The first and primary charging method was by manually operating the chair.  As long as the wheels were rolling the batteries were charging.  The chair could even be secured to a tread mill and charged while Valarie slept.  The second charging system was so small and of such minimal usefulness it was hardly worth the trouble of installing on the chair.  This system relied on two small photocells mounted on the back of the chair at seat level to collect solar power to supplement the main charging system.  The engineer laughed and suggested that if they wanted he could reroute that power to use as a seat warmer.   Once the upgrades were installed and minor adjustments made as needed the chair was ready to go and Valarie was excited to show it to her dad.

With her father's help she patented and marketed the design then sold the manufacturing rights for some ungodly sum of money.  Four years later they patented a new model with bio sensors and homing capabilities that allowed the chair to sense if the rider had become unconscious or otherwise unable to control the chair and return to a base station with which the chair communicated.  The base station was a portable unit that could be placed almost anywhere.  If they were visiting Paris for instance, the base station could be placed in their hotel room and the chair would return there if the system were activated.  More importantly, if the father and daughter were on an expedition together Stewart felt more comfortable letting his disabled daughter out of his sight knowing that if something were to happen to her the chair would bring her back to base camp rather than him not knowing she was in trouble until he could not find her.  There was a manual control as well that allowed the user to activate the homing system him/herself so that if he/she became lost the chair would take them back to the base station.   The next year they released a watch that also communicated with the base station.  The watch would alert the wearer that the system had been activated.  The wearer could see if the chair was closer to his location or the base station and alter the chair's destination if it could get to the wearer sooner than it could the base station.  Homing system even had the capability to access the hover system if need be.  Valarie made another nice profit off of these designs as well.

After high school Valarie enrolls in UCLA's School of Anthropology and Archeology.   It is during her freshman year at UCLA that the secret to the Centaurii stones' power is unlocked and the world is changed forever.   It is at that point that she becomes interested in the Centaurii and she throws herself into their study. Both her undergraduate capstone project and her master's thesis were based on the study of the Centaurii written language.

On January 16, 2095 Valarie is in a meeting room on the Ross 248 outpost.  She works for the United Nations and has, for the better part of the last two years, been trying to decipher a message that was transmitted when an explosion destroyed an archeological dig site on Epsilon Indi A I.   She is frantically trying to convince her military counter parts that she has cracked part of the mysterious code and they need to be ready.  She slams her hand down on the table. "The Enemy is coming! Now what are you going to do about it?"  Moments later all hell breaks lose.

Valarie Hale is one of the few survivors of the attack on Ross 248.  It was mostly luck.  Being in the right place at the right time.  She escaped with the rest of the military brass she had been meeting with on the only vessel to make it off Ross in one piece and they manage to warn Earth of the impending attack.

July 4, 2097:  After a rigorous selection process and an even more rigorous training program, the selected members of the crew for the Pollux mission are making final preparations for the mission.  Valarie Hale was proud to have secured her place on the Pollux team as well as a place in history.  The mission would go down in the history books if they succeeded.  All of human history would likely be erased if they failed.
Other Info: In the months leading up to the Pollux expedition Valarie designed a new chair that utilized Centaurii power and technologies to overcome the limitations of her previous chair designs.  Gone where the turbines and batteries central to her old chair's operation.  The homing station remained largely unchanged aside from its source of power.  But the chair then had seemingly limitless hover power though Valarie still preferred to operate the chair manually. 

Face Claim: Unknown

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=176409.0

Chrystal

@ Xerial

Yes I am fully aware that Becky's statement in her character profile about the spoken Centaurii language contradicts your own statement that Jason can speak a few words of Centaurii. This is deliberately allowed, for two reasons: One it is actually logical, and two it makes perfect sense that Jason might think he can speak a few words, where in fact what he would end up saying would sound more like the policeman from the TV series  'Allo 'Allo, only worse!

As there are no surviving audio recordings of the language, he would have to extrapolate it from ancient Earth languages, but there are no known recordings of those, so they have to be extrapolated from more recent ones and so on...

He is perfectly allowed to believe he can say "Hi gorgeous, want to fuck?" in Centaurii, but it's more likely to come out as "Inverted canyon, desiring my bits in your gateway".

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

jeflint

Quote from: Chrystal on August 21, 2016, 02:52:38 PM
@ Xerial

Yes I am fully aware that Becky's statement in her character profile about the spoken Centaurii language contradicts your own statement that Jason can speak a few words of Centaurii. This is deliberately allowed, for two reasons: One it is actually logical, and two it makes perfect sense that Jason might think he can speak a few words, where in fact what he would end up saying would sound more like the policeman from the TV series  'Allo 'Allo, only worse!

As there are no surviving audio recordings of the language, he would have to extrapolate it from ancient Earth languages, but there are no known recordings of those, so they have to be extrapolated from more recent ones and so on...

He is perfectly allowed to believe he can say "Hi gorgeous, want to fuck?" in Centaurii, but it's more likely to come out as "Inverted canyon, desiring my bits in your gateway".

I can honestly say that I would read words and not having heard them pronounced i would say them incorrectly.
                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

Chrystal

#83
Name: Natasha Price

Player ID: Chrystal

Position: Mission Commander
Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Height: 178 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Hair Colour: As Picture
Eye Colour: As Picture
Build: Slender and well toned

Modifications:
Tactical computer chip implant. This chip gives her the ability to monitor in real time the status of her ship and crew, and on planet to track the position of anyone equipped with a secure transponder. She can also communicate in real time with anyone else who has a similar chip implant or other comms chip and is within about 10km so long as there is not a significant amount of radio-opaque material in the way (such as the hull of a warship or a mountain). She can communicate in real time via ship-to-ship with any other vessel within range.
Tactical targeting chip in her right palm. This chip links directly with her personal side-arm and connects it to the tactical chip in her head via bluetooth. This makes it almost impossible to miss a shot provided her target is within the side-arm's range
Distinguishing marks: She has an intricate tattoo on the inside of her left thigh

Age: 37
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Lesbian

Skills: Nat has 17 years seniority in the Royal Navy - Now EarthForce Space Fleet England - as a navy jet pilot, moving up through the ranks to command her own squadron. She is highly intelligent, is very tactically aware, and can think fast. She distinguished herself in the Fourth Oil War, flying as flight leader from the aircraft carrier HMS Princess Pauline, with a number of kills to her credit. She is possibly the most decorated commander in Space Force.
Weaknesses: Has an over-inflated belief in her own invulnerability, which tends to make her volunteer for missions like this one. She has a soft spot for the ladies under her command and would much rather send men into dangerous situations, or take them herself. Tends to have difficulty delegating, and wants to make sure things are done properly. This can also be interpreted as a lack of trust in those under her command.

Likes: Girls, especially naked and in her bed. Outwitting the enemy, whether that be the current alien menace or an opponent in a board game. Board games. Fresh fruit. Excercise.
Dislikes: People doing a sloppy job. Being told she can't do something. Being argued with. Pushy men. Homophobes.

Personality: Nat likes to think she's firm but fair as a commander. In fact she can come across as pushy. She has a tendency to micromanage her subordinates, especially in situations where she is unable to do anything except watch. This is something that her superiors in EarthForce have mentioned to her and is something that has prevented her from being promoted to Commander, until she can learn to delegate properly. Off duty she can come across as aloof, but in fact she is extremely lonely and would like nothing more than to share her bunk with a female companion.

History: Born in 2060, Natasha Price was raised to be a good Catholic and a pacifist. When she was 19, word spread like wildfire around the globe that Mankind was not the only sapient species in the galaxy. The riots and religious uprisings, coupled with the Pope throwing himself from the Vatican's balcony, convinced her that religion was a farce, that her own sexual preference was not, in fact, a sin, and that being a pacifist was the best way in the world to get killed.

She joined the Royal Navy Officer Cadet Corps, and qualified for flight training. Soon she was flying jet fighters from the deck of the ageing Fleet Carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. She tried to volunteer for the second mission to Proxima, but was denied, like thousands of others. She rose swiftly through the ranks of the RN's Fleet Air Arm, and when the first Chieron expedition returned was already commanding her own fighter squadron.

When the Fourth Oil War began, with unprovoked attacks on Western shipping in the Gulf of Suez, Nat was sent to fight aboard the new carrier HMS Princess Pauline with her squadron of new generation fighters, equipped with anti-gravity, energy weapons, repulsor shields, unlimited supersonic thrust and inertial neutralisation, all things that gave the western powers an unbeatable edge over the older aircraft and weaponry of the Jihaad. The Arab nations were easily defeated and Nat was given several medals for bravery - it was that or cashier her for recklessness.

The Royal Navy soon expanded into space and Nat was given command of a Space Corvette, the HMSS Andromeda - basically a glorified scout ship. When Earth was attacked she was eleven light years away, delivering a group of scientists to a newly discovered  "Centaurii" ruin on Groombridge 34 A-1.

Word quickly reached her via Hyperlight Comms, and she abandoned the scientists and headed back to the Solar System as fast as she could, arriving too late to take part in the fighting, and anyway her ship was ill-equipped for such combat However the fact that she managed to slip through the alien blockade  without being destroyed gave her commanding officers the perfect mission for her - Blockade Running. Her ship became a blockade runner, running supplies out past the enemy ships that patrolled the solar system to the surviving extra-solar bases and Earth's two colonies.

Nat took her ship into the enemy occupied Epsilon Indi system to rescue the starwatcher who had reported a new wave of Enemy ships arriving. The EF Andromeda was badly damaged in the rescue, and on return to Earth was declared unspaceworthy. Nat was given another medal for the rescue and for managing to bring the ship down in one piece. She was tapped for command of the Pollux expedition because of her experience in evading the enemy blockade, and her ability to think on her feet in unexpected situations.

Other Info: Nothing I can think of.

Face Claim: April Lewis

Link to player Ons / Offs page

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

eiselmann

Ooh she's going to 'love' watching Dion at the controls isn't she :-)

Should be fun to write with/against your character
260916 Sigh, on the back end of my laptop dying last week and getting a new one delivered, we now have had some local flooding where I live....fortunately for me no major damage since my house is a few feet above ground, however my back yard looks like the swimming pool I don't have ...so might take a day or two to get back to posting


The Betrayal at Yalta, one of the main reasons the world is the mess it is today

My ons and offs link

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=254364.0

Chrystal

#85
Oh hell yeah... She's going to have a hard job keeping her hands off the controls herself... She landed the EF Andromeda herself after the E.I. rescue mission, because the pilot was wounded, after all...

She is also set up for conflict with Ms Hale... Becky knows what is planned on that one!

So, I need three more character sheets...

Hmmm.... I just thought of another crew position.




Edit to add: I'm not sure if I'm grateful no-one else does the maths, or disappointed that no-one else spotted that I had given Nat 27 years seniority when she's 37, meaning she joined up when she was 10! ... Er, nope, that was a typo. I fixed it now.

Folks, just because I'm the GM doesn't mean I don't have to answer to you lot. I've been quite brutal in my approval of your characters. Please feel free to PM me and say if you spot anything that you think doesn't work - like me getting the maths wrong!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

BeckyAnnn

Quote from: Chrystal on August 21, 2016, 05:09:11 PM
Edit to add: I'm not sure if I'm grateful no-one else does the maths, or disappointed that no-one else spotted that I had given Nat 27 years seniority when she's 37, meaning she joined up when she was 10! ... Er, nope, that was a typo. I fixed it now.

Folks, just because I'm the GM doesn't mean I don't have to answer to you lot. I've been quite brutal in my approval of your characters. Please feel free to PM me and say if you spot anything that you think doesn't work - like me getting the maths wrong!

Hey, I just got around to reading it, okay?  Geesh    *giggles

Yes, just how is Nat going to react to having a civilian team member standing up to her, so to speak.

I can't remember of the top of my head, and am too lazy to go looking for myself at the moment....Is Valarie the only civilian on the team?  I am thinking the good doctor might be civilian as well?  And Jacob?  Was he a civilian too?  What does the chain of command look like with all the military and civilian team members?  You may have covered this and I am just not remembering.  Been playing a lot of catch up since you asked if I would be interested in the role, Chrystal.  Thanks for that by the way. 



jeflint

The doctor is a civil. 😊

Also with Becky. I just now read the two new characters. Also welcome to our linguist.

It's funny all the female characters do far are all serious while our guys are less serious... It's gonna be guys vs girls isn't it?
                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

Chrystal

The doctor, the technology geek and the linguistics geek are all civilians, and as such are not directly subject to the chain of command.

The chain for the other characters will largely depend upon their ranks, but I'm envisioning Commander -> Pilot -> Engineer -> Gunner -> Marine Sergeant -> Marine Scout -> Marines




Incidentally, this is the EFS Gemini




Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

eiselmann

#89
Ohh second in command -)

Like the nice shiny ship....that first scratch is going to be a killer........by mission end another ding won't even be noticed


'Go that way really fast. If something gets in the way ....turn".
BANG
" I said turn,  not, keep going straight"
260916 Sigh, on the back end of my laptop dying last week and getting a new one delivered, we now have had some local flooding where I live....fortunately for me no major damage since my house is a few feet above ground, however my back yard looks like the swimming pool I don't have ...so might take a day or two to get back to posting


The Betrayal at Yalta, one of the main reasons the world is the mess it is today

My ons and offs link

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=254364.0

jeflint

Are you sure that's a ship and not a gun? I'm a doctor not a engineer. :P
                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

BeckyAnnn

Quote from: jeflint on August 21, 2016, 08:10:50 PM
Are you sure that's a ship and not a gun? I'm a doctor not a engineer. :P

I said it looks like a bug. It's a sexy ship though.  ;)

Kythia

Right.  Olympics are over, I shall return to E and write things.  Starting with changes to the character sheet.
242037

Chrystal

Quote from: jeflint on August 21, 2016, 08:10:50 PM
Are you sure that's a ship and not a gun? I'm a doctor not a engineer. :P

"His brain's gone!"

"Och these're verra sensitive instruments!"

"It's Life Captain, but not as we know it...!"

"He's dead, Jim!"

"Ye cannae change th' laws o' physics, Cap'n"

...............

Right, that's all the Star Trek quotes out of the way. Moving swiftly on...

Quote from: Kythia on August 21, 2016, 11:10:31 PM
Right.  Olympics are over, I shall return to E and write things.  Starting with changes to the character sheet.

YAY!

And I specifically picked that ship because it looks like it's "organic". This is what "Sufficiently Advanced Bamboo Technology" looks like, at least when it's been retro-engineered by humans. The best thing about the ship is that there is no indication of scale, so we can fit whatever we want inside, within reason (It's not a TARDIS). So a small gymnasium, but no swimming pool, sorry!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

jeflint

                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

Hazy Sky

And I have a character sheet roughed out. I'm going to give it a proof read to make sure and then it will be making it way to you Chrystal.
Looking for and accepting new stories.

Current earworms
Kallax
The Midnight
WOLFCLUB

jeflint

I just realized that the captain was Catholic... And there was a mention in her back story of the Pope killing himself.

How did other major religions take this? I never really thought of this, being an odinist in RL, I just sorta figured Amilya would be whatever the largest religion would be in Germany at the time.

I know our European brethren are more liberal in certain things so it's entirely possible that they're all happily agnostic by 2096.
                               
Jan's General Info, The F-List , On’s & Offs, absenteeism & BB Color Codes

Kythia

Quote from: jeflint on August 22, 2016, 09:50:48 AM
I just realized that the captain was Catholic... And there was a mention in her back story of the Pope killing himself.

How did other major religions take this? I never really thought of this, being an odinist in RL, I just sorta figured Amilya would be whatever the largest religion would be in Germany at the time.

I know our European brethren are more liberal in certain things so it's entirely possible that they're all happily agnostic by 2096.

Funnily enough, the official position of the Catholic Church is that aliens probably do exist and are probably hostile.

In the current day: parts of Germany are Catholic, parts are Lutheran.  Not sure where or how it's trending though.
242037

eiselmann

#98
For many there would be a crisis of faith , this would be especially true for Catholics with not just the loss of the pope but also in the fact that he killed himself.....if the Vatican were able to elect a new pope as they normally would ,that might be able to retain the bulk of their followers but this is unlikely to happen in a world under attack. More likely the church will shatter and the various parts of itself will be less than the whole was.

For others ,the aliens will be proof of God , they will be sent by God to punish humans for straying from the truth.

Expect all faiths to lose numbers (thou they will also gain new converts as well) expect those that remain to be more zealous than ever before
260916 Sigh, on the back end of my laptop dying last week and getting a new one delivered, we now have had some local flooding where I live....fortunately for me no major damage since my house is a few feet above ground, however my back yard looks like the swimming pool I don't have ...so might take a day or two to get back to posting


The Betrayal at Yalta, one of the main reasons the world is the mess it is today

My ons and offs link

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=254364.0

Kythia


Name: Havildar Rahana Saddiq, Sindh Rangers on secondment to USA led expedition

Player ID: Kythia

Position: Guard Sergeant
Rank: Sergeant equivalent, Pakistani rank is "Havildar"

Height: 170
Weight: 60.5

Modifications: No genetic modifications, enforced by Pakistani, religious and international law (see below).  Drug release packages in her hands: she can release painkillers, adrenaline, sleeping drugs or sugar in to her bloodstream - one in each finger of her left hand, released by pressing it together with her right thumb.
Distinguishing marks: Name, regiment, blood type and military medical reference tattooed on her right bicep.

Age: 29
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Bisexual

Skills:
Genetically "Perfect": 
Rahana is one of those limited number of people with no genetic weaknesses (at least as far as the current state of medical knowledge can find.)  No risk factors for genetic conditions, no identifiable risk factors for obesity, depression or addiction, no congenital organ weaknesses, nothing.  Under both the International Convention on Baseline Humanity and Pakistan's own Preservation of Humanity act, it's illegal for her to have genetic implants - the logic being that given the relative newness of genetic manipulation of humans, a baseline must be kept in case long term problems emerge.  Rahana is essentially breeding stock kept aside against the possibility of genetic degradation of humanity.  Pakistani religious law also forbids genetic manipulation, although that particular restriction is largely ignored.
Military Training:  The Indian/Pakistani border is not a soft option and certainly not a sinecure.  High grades in basic training are required to be posted there and troops are kept in a constant state of combat readiness.  Purely being there makes her amongst the best trained in the Pakistani army and staying there with only one minor demerit two years ago has only honed that.  She's a good shot, follows orders quickly, uses her own initiative when needed and maintains a high level of physical fitness.
Linguist: Growing up in FATA meant she learnt several tribal languages in addition to Sindhi, Urdu, Arabic and English.  In the army she added Hindi and Kashmiri to that total.  She doesn't speak any of the alien tongue, but Psych reports suggest she would be able to pick up the basics should the mission require it.

Weaknesses:
Superior:
Since mandatory genetic testing at thirteen she's known she is potentially the future of the human race.  Since posting to the border at 19 she's known she's part of the first line of defence of her country.  Her life has conspired to make her think she's important and valuable and it's not surprising she does so.  She's not rebellious or mutinous-there's no way she could have survived in the army if she was-but she is, and knows she is, more important than you. By objective measures.
Vain: For many years now she's regularly seen clones of her eighteen year old self.  That was fine when she was nineteen.  Not so bad when she was twenty five.  But now thirty isn't too far over the horizon it's starting to get to her a little.  Gravity is affecting boobs a bit and her skin is starting to lose a little elasticity.  A bitter pill for anyone, really, but made worse by constant reminders of her in her youth.  She pushes herself hard in PT, is careful about what she eats, moisturises several times a day and everything else she can do to stave off aging and the increasingly unfavourable comparisons it brings.
Hypochondria: These two factors have combined to make her a regular visitor to sick bay.  If she twinges her leg on the treadmill, she gets it checked out.  Coughs in the morning, gets a chest scan.  Nicks her leg shaving, asks for it to be sterilised and antibiotics prescribed. 

Likes:
Brussels Sprouts - She eats well and healthily, making sure to get her five fruit and veg (at least three different colours, no more than two fruit) per day.
Cricket - She's a keen cricket fan, as a spectator not a player, and has vids of several important matches which she watches and re-watches for relaxation.
Being warm - She's an absolute sun worshipper and gets cold easily.  Whenever she's allowed control of the thermostat, people start sweating.  Fortunately it's rare.

Dislikes:
Chocolate - She doesn't drink, smoke, take drugs, eat simple carbohydrates, etc etc etc
Simmering arguments - A life amongst the barracks has made her keenly aware of how minor resentments can fester.  She dislikes people talking about others behind their back or not sorting out a disagreement immediately.  Not to say everyone has to be friends with everyone, but harming squad unity is a terrible thing.
Sleeping "alone" - Not necessarily "sleeping with" someone, but she's used to dormitories and finds it hard to get to sleep in a single room without the night time serenade of farts, mutters and creaks.

Personality:
She keenly feels the honour both for her and for her homeland of being on this mission.  She's absolutely committed to it, beyond the importance of the mission itself, which gives her a certain intolerance for on duty frivolity, particularly unhealthy on duty frivolity.  Off duty is different, everyone needs relaxation time, but when she's on her shift she's focused and expects everyone else to be.  Off duty she seeks out places where her clones aren't to relax and watch cricket.

She's culturally Muslim but doesn't practice.

Rahana is used to the tight camaraderie of her squad and tends towards a little standoffishness with new people.  However, she's an enthusiastic team player and will quickly join in with any "organised" activities - be that official teambuilding exercises or something as simple as a card game in the mess.  Whether she enjoys the activity itself or not, the goal here is to get to know the people she's working with.  She's just bad at it without a structure, bad at approaching people and saying "hi".

Once she does know people a little better she, like most people, tends to gravitate to those with similar interests.  Fitness or cricket, predominantly, about which she'll cheerfully hold long conversations.  She does her best with those who aren't special friends - again, squad unity is important - but does tend to shy away from those who make frequent references to sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. 

She's used to barracks and communal showers and, while not a nudist or exhibitionist, she's quite unabashed around females.

History:
For as long as Pakistan has existed her family has been in the Pakistani military and there was never any doubt in her mind that she would be too.  She was born, youngest of three girls, on a military base in FATA and subject to her father's stern military discipline from day one.

A brief spanner was thrown in this following her genetic testing at the onset of puberty when her "perfect" results made it unclear whether she would be risked in the military.  As part of the first cohort to be tested, it wasn't at all clear how many like her there were and so how precious she was but as the testing regime rolled out.  However, as time passed and it became clear that it wasn't so uncommon as to make military service impossible, her application to join the army was accepted.

Being prepared for it all her life, she passed basic training with flying colours - frankly it was easier than the training and disciple regime her father had inflicted on her.  She was fit, smart, knew her military history and quick to follow orders.  A natural, in fact, for the high-prestige border with India.

During her time there she continued to excel.  Clones weren't allowed on that border so except for periodic visits to Lahore to have genetic samples taken it didn't overly affect her life that there were so many duplicates of her running around.  Certainly didn't affect her making Havildar almost eighteen months ahead of "schedule" or having an exemplary service record. 

While there hasn't been outright "war" with India for over a century the militarised border kept her in a state of combat readiness and dealing with issues in the Kashmir gave her valuable live combat experience (it was there she earned her stripes). 

The border itself wasn't attacked during the alien invasion.  While heavily militarised by both nations that militarisation is spread over a large geographic area and not, apparently, heavily concentrated enough to attract their attention.  Even though both nations were attacked, neither abandoned it forces from the border as both felt the other would use this as an opportunity to attack and both saw the defence of the border as a matter for prestige.  She was rotated away from the border briefly in the wake of the attacks when the army was brought in to maintain order in some cities but didn't see any combat there.  Sheer visibility was enough to calm problems and the fact that Pakistan avoided riots like the ones that devastated Calcutta is a matter of some pride.

Behind the scenes, many strings were being pulled to get her on this mission.  It was felt by many that despite being an ostensibly international mission it would be composed almost entirely of Americans, or possibly Europeans and Americans if they were feeling generous, and many major groups were seeking to remedy that.  Chinese pressure was brought to bear, Russian, Arabic, South East Asian and many other ethnic and cultural blocks.  Over the course of the nominations, these solidified in to larger groupings and Pakistan threw its lot in with the Muslim world in an attempt to get a representative on the mission.  This effectively removed India's chances as even the massive sub-continent found itself outnumbered and they focused on Dr Sakkir from Egypt and on her as potential candidates.  She was, eventually, chosen by the panel that decided on the make up of the team over Egyptian howls of protest and ordered to go - wile she would have volunteered, she's not a volunteer.

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