"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure" - Marianne Williamson The Story: It is the twenty fourth century...Earth has unified as a single planet, and while there are still nations, the short-sightedness of despots and bureaucrats no longer hinders long term human developments and enterprises. It was not always so... In the twenty first century Earth established its first colonies, first on the Moon, on some of the asteroids (particularly the larger ones such as Ceres), and then eventually virtually every rock in the solar system. Venus and Mars were terraformed, colonists on worlds without atmospheres (like Mercury and Ganymede) adapted by building domes, underground tunnels, etc. Space seeders were sent outside of the solar system to spread humanity to the stars. They were very slow (sub-light speed) and most were lost. There is no telling how many human generations survived from those early endeavors, some seeds germinate, others wither and die... After the archaic age of the space seeders colonists of the twenty-second century were able to travel to other star systems using wormholes to circumvent the speed limit of light. Most of the worlds exist as semi-autonomous Commonwealths, neither completely independent from Earth nor under Earth's dominion. Some planets, such as Venus, are very peaceful and maintain good relations with Earth. Some planets, like Mars, are very warlike and seem to be in a kind of cold war with Earth. There are many parties in the galaxy. There's not just the United Earth Aerospace Force, there are smugglers, marauders (space pirates), slavers, spacers (people that are born, live, and die only in space), independent civilian contractors, mercenaries, and so on. There are even rumors that on the frontier of the galaxy, out beyond the farthest colonies, aliens have begun to sniff out human settlements... For once in the system, as well as in the galaxy, there is peace; pax galactica, but that peace is tenuous and perhaps short-lived. There are all kinds of nasty people who wish to end that peace. The Martians are militant, there are pirates in the deep dark places of the solar system, and colonists on extrasolar worlds longing for freedom from Earth, even if they have to fight a revolution to get it... The Game: The game is a story-telling RPG. You will create a character and play the game by supplying the dialogue, controlling their behavior, and explaining their actions through exposition. From time to time I may play as a NPC (non-player character), throw some curve balls your way, drop clues, gifts, updates, etc. The concept behind the game is that your characters are individuals living in this future universe I've created. Your character could be an Aerospace Force cadet from Earth, a spy from Mars, a political refugee from the Galactic Consortium (see glossary), or a smiling, spacing, drifting, grifter... Rules: Please read (borrowed from Honorius with slight modifications) 1)Please read everyone’s posts; this allows us all to follow along with the story. Respond to another's post as applicable or pertinent to the story, (or if you want, or if your character wants). 2)Avoid writing either one-line posts or extremely long posts. If you really only need a short post or can't condense a long one that's fine, just try not to do it too often. 3)Please make sure to proofread and/or edit your posts. I'm not a grammar Nazi but because we're on a writing site I should at least encourage us all to adhere to correct grammar and punctuation, etc. 4)Do not attempt to control another character without their consent. A story won't be fun unless we can all control our own characters' fates. 5)If you can no longer play or will be noticeably absent for a long time your character may be NPC'd, or killed, or reassigned to another mission, etc. If you are a new player and would like to jump in at the middle of a story no problem, we'll just role-play your character in, say you are reinforcements, a new consultant, etc. 6)Try not to flood the thread with excessive posts or overpower other characters too much. We need fewer chiefs and more Indians, if you'll excuse the expression. 7)The game thread will be for the game, if there are any issues, concerns, gripes, complaints, comments not relating to the game/story please discuss elsewhere. Otherwise, if there is a problem that is game related I strongly do encourage you to bring it up OOC so that we can all fix the problem together. EDIT: I have begun a Pax discussion thread to drop updates, info, and discuss issues with gameplay. I don't want to be too restrictive and limiting, so almost anything will fly (there are obviously limits). Please no silly posts, no BFG super guns, light sabers, or UFOs. While I won't be restricting every aspect of this game universe there is a certain feel and style to it that I want to preserve. It's a science fiction RPG, not a fantasy one, so while I love fantasy, I'm leaning more towards Robert Heinlein than J.R. Tolkien. If you would like to address me or another user out of game character please use the acronym OOC (out of character) so that we all know where you're coming from. Otherwise anything written in your post will be taken to mean narration/dialogue, etc. The story comes first. Rules will most likely have to adjusted or even bent dramatically as this progresses. Remember that the goal is to enhance the story, we will not be simply obeying laws like mindless automatons. You are encouraged to be creative and improvise. I encourage and strongly recommend full participation. The most important rule is to have fun! Character: Name: Gender: Age: Appearance: Give a brief description of what your character looks like, details are good, and if you would like to include pictures or artwork as well that is welcome. Personality: Is your character introverted or extroverted? Leader or follower? Are they a clown, stern, a lover, fighter, book-worm? Background: Give a brief story of your character to explain where they're from, etc. There are no class restrictions, you can play just about whoever or whatever you want, as long as they are not a clearly an evil person. I look forward to seeing you all, somewhere, out there, in the whole wide galaxy...
Name: Arc (Archaic Astero) Gender: Male Age: 19 Appearance: 5"5, quite thin, wears casuals, never seen in military uniforms, untidy black hair, black eyes, light brown skin tan Personality: He is weak but fast. A total book-worm(not exactly but seeks knowledge), bases everything on explanation, bores people with extra-scientific answers. He usually bends to anybody's will and is quite introvert. He is used being teased for many things including his name. Background: He was an above average computer specialist.
Name: Nathan Brown Gender: Male Age: 22 Appearance: Nathan is average weight and wears exactly what he's told to with extreme neatness. He's got short brown hair and brown eyes. He's quite tall. Personality: Nathan takes extreme pride in his reputation in the military. He would never disobey even the smallest of orders. He likes to be the leader of groups, however he isn't too bossy. He does his best to get along with everybody. Background: Nathan grew up on Earth and had always dreamed of space. As a child he would often be found reading books about the moon or how space-travel worked. Naturally, when he was old enough he wanted to reach the stars so he joined Aerospace.
Name: Greg "Pappy" Gunther Gender: Male Age: 53 Appearance: Pappy is a short and stocky caucasian man with tattoos on both of his forearms. His left forearm has his first unit logo, the Centaurus fleet on it, his right forearm has the Manticores Aerospace Squadron on it. He has dark hair that is beginning to grey at his temples. His eyes are grey and seem to flash when he's angry. His face has many scars and wrinkles on it, and when he speaks you can tell that some of his teeth have been broken off at the gums, knocked out in bar fights. Personality: Pappy is an old school, grizzled, mean and gritty enlisted man (Master Chief). He is a vetarn, the kind of guy who's "been there, done that". While he seems gruff and grim he is at heart a big teddy bear and loves to spoil his "kids" (lower ranking enlisted and officers). Once you get to know him and earn his trust he is a great friend and companion, the kind of guy you want standing next to you when the crap hits the fan... Background: Pappy is a vertan of the second Interstellar war and multiple other minor skirmishes and battles. He has since learned that peace is almost unattainable. He has become a crass, shrill, and strident cynic. His attitude has gotten him into trouble with superiors before, and he has had to serve on many "hardship" tours because of it. As an experienced senior noncomissioned officer he has been all over the galaxy and brings excellent insights. He is the guy to talk to when you have a question about how the galaxy works. When you guys arrive at the aerospace port you notice robot service drones, offworld tourists, and many service members in uniform running around. Pappy is sitting alone at the waiting area. He is in full uniform and has a great many decorations on his service jacket. He has orders to report to Aerospace Force headquarters just like you, and he is close to retirement, so he is in a bit of a mood. OOC: I don't know how many people will be joining us for the game (at least one other person has expressed interest) so let's wait here for a bit and interact with each other. When it's time to go you'll know, an officer will be meeting with us. And thanks guys for joining my game.
Name: Kyla Trinery (Most just call her Trin) Gender: Female Age: 25 Appearance: Trin is about 5’ 7” and very physically fit. She has light skin, due to spending almost all her life aboard ships. She also has peculiarly green eyes. There's a large scar on the back of her head, right where the neck meets, which she doesn’t really bother with trying to hide. She looks quite good in her UEAF uniform and she knows it, but her facial expression would never show it. She’s lived a hard life and that's the only thing her face shows, not really telling if she gets enjoyment or despair from anything, just a hard calm. Personality: As mentioned before, she has the personality of a veteran interrogator. This is mostly due to her excessive loneliness aboard her father’s freightliner, and from the event in which her father died. She is calm and calculating, simultaneously. Although her expressions are usually impossible to read, she is always thinking of what’s going on and her surroundings. She is a generally quiet person, only really speaking when she actually needs something or is spoken to. Trin isn’t really a leader as much as she is a follower, but she can take the lead in a situation if no one else will. She values courage above anything else, another aspect of her life due to her father’s death. From growing up as a spacer, she will always find comfort in being space rather than planet-side. Trin isn’t truly a mean person, but she comes off as one to anyone who doesn’t know her very well. One fault of her though, is how judgmental she is about people. If she finds a reason to not like somebody from the beginning, she probably won’t ever change that. Background: Kyla Trinery lived the hard life of an interplanetary freighter family, a life most couldn’t deal with. Born aboard father’s shipping vessel, the Dartmouth, she was raised as a hard laborer in a ship, secluded from most other people. Although her father worked her to exhaustion almost daily, with different hard work on the vessel and ground labor for the next shipment, she loved him very much for teaching her all she knows. She had an older brother, who tried to be tough like her father but never was. He was somewhat abusive towards her, trying to prove he was a “man” of the family. When she was fifteen years old, one event changed her life completely. On a return voyage back to Earth for a new pickup, the ship was raided by another vessel while on short stop outside of Ganymede for a small shipment to Earth. The intruders, who instantly overpowered the ship’s small crew, were enraged by the fact no cargo was on board yet for them to take. A short struggle ensued, in which Trin was knocked out by a rod hitting her in the back of the head, and most of the surviving crew, including her father that wasn’t hiding was shoved in the docking bay after the airlock. The outer doors were subsequently opened and the crew all perished. Trin witnessed this after waking up in the security room and beating a pirate to death with the same rod he hit her with. After the pirates had left, some people came out of hiding, including her brother and mother. She never forgave her brother for hiding instead of fighting like her and her father, and separated herself from the family a few years later. She worked odd jobs for the next few years, doing repairs on different ships or out freighting with other companies. Trin had few, but very close friends throughout her life, and has been made a very tough woman with endless amounts of work. But she never forgot the day her father died, and how much it shaped her own life. It is one of the many reasons she joined the UEAF and left freighting behind. Consequently, Trin is very useful for technical and navigation knowledge on board vessels. She is not the most diplomatic person though, and never did well in any of her UEAF training for that.
Leaning up against a column at the station, Trin looks around at all the tourists with slight contempt. Damn tourists, making to much noise. I just want to get off this planet. She turns her head and sees Gunther sitting alone over in the waiting area, looking nearly as annoyed as she is. Although everyone calls him "Pappy," it just never stuck with her. Contempt leaves her face as she notices him though, and is replaced by respect. Someone that decorated deserves respect in her eyes. A few tourists stare at her a little bit, it's the overly fitted uniform and she knows it. Trin doesn't even give them a glance. She doesn't really have time for that nonsense and just looks off to the old MC, then up at the sky. Finally, back into space. A smile almost forms. She's going back home. The thought brushes the sound of the tourist cat-calls away with ease.
This was it. Nathan was about to go into that dark mystery called space. His dream of exploring the unknown was about to become reality. He looked over to Pappy. All those years of experience. his mood was justified. Nathan didn't know all the details, but apparently, this was one of Pappy's last missions. He glanced around the area waiting for some sort of signal to get on board. What was taking so long?
Pappy grunted as he smacked the inside of his palm with a quivering fist. He always got the shakes before leaving orbit or before making a planetfall. Nerves was all, just nerves... Out of the corner of his eye he could see a tall, young looking serviceman with brown hair and an immaculately kept uniform. "Hey kid," Pappy growled. "You look...new in uniform. You ever been up there yet?"
"No Sir," answered Nathan as he discreetly checked his uniform. When he was sure everything was neat, he looked back up at Pappy. It was hard to tell what the man was thinking so he continued speaking, "I've dreamed of it since I was a child," he added. Even while talking to Pappy, Nathan's brain was spinning with excitement for the journey ahead.
After arriving at the port Arc glanced around to look for his boss. "Mr. Greg Gunther," he said reading it off a note, "Now where is he?" A bulky tourist who probably didn't notice him brushed rather hard against him. Arc immediately responded, "Hey! Can't you see someone is here?" "Shut up, I didn't notice you and that's not my mistake, you are hardly visible. Now get out of my sight or I'll crack you head," said the tourist. "That's rude," he remarked, "Dare you brush against me one more time!" "What? You talking to me, now look here buddy don't mess around. Just stick to yourself and don't reply like that. Next time you'll find yourself missing half your teeth," growled the tourist. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry," spoke Arc and turned around. And there was his boss. He walked up to him yet again fearing another scolding for wearing casuals. But he wasn't exactly the one who went out to fight.
"Shut up," came a tourist's voice. Nathan turned his head to see the commotion. A tourist and another UEAF member who was unknown to Nathan were arguing about something. Patty left and headed to the two. All these distractions, they were getting to Nathan's head. They must've been waiting for over an hour now and he wanted nothing more then to get into space.
Name: Austin Rainer Gender: Male Age: 19 Appearance: Austin has short brown hair and brown eyes. He has a well trimmed build with paler than average skin and a somewhat youthful face. He's rarely seen out of his uniform and besides that he doesn't wear anything else special. Personality: Austin is never afraid to give his opinion and is rather intelligent. He easily gets annoyed and dislikes any form of indecision. However, Austin is also very loyal to his comrades and isn't afraid to give into emotion. Background: Believing in destiny, Austin has always known he was bound to be in the UEAF. He has excelled in intelligence gathering, diplomacy and combat but dreads having to fly a ship more than anything. He is an only child born to a good family of investors on earth. He usually only carries with him a standard pistol (when allowed) and always his PDD which is an extremely powerful model with the most storage space for data and best security on it. Austin is obsessed with gathering as much data as possible as pretty much everything and is secretly skilled in hacking. Exactly why he needs so much information nobody knows for sure.
Pappy perked up a bit when he noticed that the tall kid in uniform was actually an officer. Midshipman, would be lucky to be an Ensign if he made it past his first hardship tour, but still an officer due his respect and title. Pappy chuckled. "Please don't call me sir kid, I'm an enlisted man, I should be calling you sir. Don't hold your breath though. S'kay kid, you'll get your chance to see it all." Pappy let out a deep sigh. "Whole lot of nothing out there; cold, dark, empty...nuthin'. And then when you do finally get to a rock you'll be lucky if its one that ain't full of craters. If you get to one with air you're lucky if you can breath it; fifty fifty shot of them being too hot or too damn cold. Aww hell, listen to me ramble. Just ignore me kid, I guess I'm just bitter. Where are my manners? I'm Gunther, Master Chief Gunther. Call me Pappy." Pappy could hear and see as the rude tourist exchanged heavy words with a short guy in civilian clothes. Even though he was out of uniform he could tell the kid was fleet. "Mister Greg Gunther?" The short guy said. Pappy put his face in his palm. "Oh brother, I hate that name, call me Pappy kid. And what the hell did you do with your uniform, is it a the dry cleaners? Sheesh, you boots...no offense. I can't say I give a damn, just tell the Lieutenant when he gets here that you're...getting the buttons rotated or somethin'." "Oy, and these tourists are sure getting ballsy, nerve a him. If I wasn't still hung over I would have caved that ape's head in. You need to have more confidence kid, how you gonna kill Martians and Marauders if you can't stick up for yourself? Sit down and relax, waiting for the others to show up."
"Oh brother, I hate that name, call me Pappy kid. And what the hell did you do with your uniform, is it a the dry cleaners? Sheesh, you boots...no offense. I can't say I give a damn, just tell the Lieutenant when he gets here that you're...getting the buttons rotated or somethin'." "Oy, and these tourists are sure getting ballsy, nerve a him. If I wasn't still hung over I would have caved that ape's head in. You need to have more confidence kid, how you gonna kill Martians and Marauders if you can't stick up for yourself? Sit down and relax, waiting for the others to show up." "Yes, sir," replied Arc and sunk to the nearby chair. Finally after so much, he was here. He looked around and saw a fellow sitting next to him. He extended a hand forwards and said, "Nice to meet you. I am Archaic Astero. You can call me Arc if you like!"
"Nice to meet you. I am Archaic Astero. You can call me Arc if you like!" It was the UEAF member who was arguing with the tourist. He had untidy hair and was just wearing casuals. He seemed nice. Nathan gave his hand in return. "Nice to meet you Arc, I'm Nathan Brown. This your first time in space?"
"Nice to meet you Arc, I'm Nathan Brown. This your first time in space?" "Yeah, I do not fancy the space much but I am fascinated by the systems. I can handle the systems well but, I actually cannot...", he said, disappointed, "I am really thin and I am often bullied. I am weak, you can say. If only I was a little stronger... but let's forget that. I hope that I revolutionize the space systems in my future. That is actually my aim."
"Yeah, I do not fancy the space much but I am fascinated by the systems. I can handle the systems well but, I actually cannot...", he said, disappointed, "I am really thin and I am often bullied. I am weak, you can say. If only I was a little stronger... but let's forget that. I hope that I revolutionize the space systems in my future. That is actually my aim." "I don't plan on doing any of that. I just want to see space, see Earth from the stars. Maybe one day, when I'm more experienced with space, I might learn a bit more about the systems, but for now, I just want to experience space first hand."
"I don't plan on doing any of that. I just want to see space, see Earth from the stars. Maybe one day, when I'm more experienced with space, I might learn a bit more about the systems, but for now, I just want to experience space first hand." "Well, I cannot deny that I hate space. - It is great but I love computers more than science. But computers are a part of science too. Everything including nothing is science. - Space travel had started as early as the 19th century. - Amazing. - They used to have little rockets to move to space. - But of course, space is a mystery. - Even after four centuries we do not know everything about it. - But the only thing I came here was to experience the space. - It sounds weird and I bet there is quite more to it than we know. - I love the mysteries of science. - There have been theories every 10-20 years about Doom, Doomsday and Apocalypse. - I hope a genuine one will come. Won't you?" Arc started his little foolish talk yet again. Despicable.
"Well, I cannot deny that I hate space. It is great but I love computers more than science. But computers are a part of science too. Everything including nothing is science. Space travel had started as early as the 19th century. Amazing. They used to have little rockets to move to space. But of course, space is a mystery. Even after four centuries we do not know everything about it. But the only thing I came here was to experience the space. It sounds weird and I bet there is quite more to it than we know. I love the mysteries of science. There have been theories every 10-20 years about Doom, Doomsday and Apocalypse. I hope a genuine one will come. Won't you?" "Doom? I don't think so. Humanity's only just begun. Look at us, in a couple of centuries time, we'll be even more advanced." Nathan stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go have a look around, see if there's something to eat around here. Nice talking to you Arc. I'll be sure to catch up with you later."
(Sorry for the late entry And Don't worry guys, i can still finish Crimson Flame) Name: David Carter Gender: Male Age: 19 Appearence: Carter has thick black hair (strictly non regulation) cut just above his sky blue eyes. He has a sharp nose contrasted against his large lips. Late night writing marathons and wild parties account for the dark sleep rings that mar his otherwise handsome face. He has a pale complexion, with a light birthmark on the left side of his face. This is often mistaken for a fake tan, or dirty smudge. Carter is taller than average, with a long neck, and thin torso. His uniform is usually neat, with an underlying layer of shabbiness. A stain on his shirt, and a couple buttons undone are common blemishes on Carters dress sense. Personality: Carter fancies himself as the charming, dashing rogue who arrives, sweeps the ladies off their feet, before disappearing into the night leaving swooning woman, and jealous men. In reality he can usually be found under the table, lying in a pool of vomit at one of the many parties he attends afterhours. (Admittedly he has taken many woman to his bed, although he has a morbid fear of a long term relationship). His dishevelled appearence and unprofessional antics would lead to any other recruit being discharged, fortunately for Carter his doting father is a higher up, and is constantly pulling strings to keep Carter out of trouble. Carter is dramatic, over the top, funny and cheerful at nearly all times. He never saw the appeal of not being nice to everyone he meets, and therefore he makes friends easily. When Carter isn't at the centre of attention, training (or skiving off his duties) he is writing. Carter writes novels, short stories, satires, rants, poems, or just his thoughts. He carries a notepad full of ideas at all times, and his spontaneous nature means that the scribbling of Carters pen is a common sound in his company. Carter accepts the authority of those he likes, and scorns the authority of thsoe who he deems to have not earned his respect. Carter also has a habit of stating his opinion like its the only one that matters, this has lead to a number of arguments with those he cares about, although deep down he believes everyone is equal. Background: With a father in the Navy it was always expected that Carter would sign up (Although it took a whole year for his father to drag him away from his rampant partying just after highschool). Carter never knew his mother, and has no intention of meeting her. For the past few years Carter's natural intelligence, fathers input (although Carter puts it down to his own charm) have landed Carter into the navy with high results across the board. He specialises in piloting single man fighters, sharpshooting and diplomacy. Carter can fill the role of leader quite naturally if the situation calls for it.
Nathan took in his surroundings. There were so many people, it was easy to get lost and after walking for twenty minutes, he realized he had reached the same seat where he and Arc has just been talking. Arc was gone but he had been replaced by another man, most likely a tourist. The man had dark black hair and needed a shave. He wore a forest green jacket and baggy blue jeans. The man hadn't noticed Nathan yet and got up from the seat. He looked around and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets before pulling a small device out of his right pocket. What was it? Nathan followed the man but after a couple of minutes, he lost him in the crowd.
And so it begins... good thing I have a lot of free time lol Name: Jeromey "JJ" Jacobs Sex: Male Age: 23 Appearance: Image of the "Rugged Individual", tall and handsome, usually unshaven and pale from years of spacetravel. Dark green eyes and a black high-and-tight haircut accentuates chiseled features of his face and lithe body. Wears dress trousers and a well decorated jacket over one of his many flamboyant shirts, untucked shirttails reaching past the hem of his jacket, and a regulation ground pounder cap. Personality: Extremely self-centered, a thrill-seeker. Seeks out the extraordinary in any group, be they extraordinarily competent, attractive or experienced, and their exact counterparts to become friends or rivals with. Decides whether he will have a combative or supportive relationship with the other person within the first minute of seeing them. Tends to take far to many risks, and while some are to fuel his thrill-seeking, others are carefully planned maneuvers. He hasn't failed in such a risk once. Background: A born and bred military brat, he joined the UEAF straight out of primary school at 16 as a cabinboy, without even telling his parents. The next time he talked to them in person he was 19 and a Third Class Petty Officer Machinist, participated in several skirmishes and policing cruises and was well on his way to officer training and flight school. His mother fled the room, his father grinned and poured him a drink, a Marine "ground pounder" himself. Since then, JJ earned a reputation in flight school as a danger to himself and in Officer Candidate School as a danger to everyone around him. Yet, he showed himself to be extremely competent and efficient in his duties, though sometimes at the cost of his fellows.
The port was bustling, just like the last time I'd been here. "The port that never sleeps" some said. I didn't know too much about that, but there seemed plenty of action going on around here. Spotting an unmistakable old man in uniform, I walked in Pappy's direction, only to be stopped by seeing one of my fellow ensigns casually leaning against a pillar away from the Chief's slowly growing group. "Aha! I thought I'd see you here Trin!" I dropped my satchel on the ground and leaned against the pillar next to her. The woman was elusive at best, damn hard to find and harder to get her to talk to you at worst. "How was your leave after graduation? I half expected to see you at the Space Clam, but you never showed up."
After Nathan went around, Arc too got up and moved about the crowd. He found nothing interesting and most of the tourists were quite rough and didn't take notice of him walking there. They simply brushed him aside and made their way. After some time, he spotted a man with black hair with a little bit of beard. He was trying him best to avoid being spotted and had a strange device in his hand. "Suspicious," thought Arc and followed him. And then he pushed right through the man and made it look like an accident. The device fell down from his hand. "What the HELL are you doing?" asked the person. "I am really sorry. Let me pick this for you," said Arc and extended his hand to pick the device. "No thanks," the man said roughly and seized the device from the ground. Arc had no clue as to what it was since it automatically closed the doors/cover of the device. He turned away and after a few minutes noticed Nathan. "Hey, we meet again. i just saw a strange man. Big bloke and had a really advanced device. I couldn't see what exactly it was. I knocked into him intentionally but the device had an external black cover which automatically closed. And I was about to touch it when he seized it. But he was acting strangely. Very strange, indeed," he said.
