Elite roleplay: The docks

THE DOCKS (Dockyards)

The Docks is where all pilots berth their ships. It is the first place that pilots find themselves upon landing their ship. Docking and launching is controlled by the Citi Gateway’s Traffic Controllers while each individual dock is controlled by a dockmaster and a team of orange clad dock crew workers.

The Docks is a sparse and desolate, 0.1G environment, littered with service vehicles, cranes and landing pads. While cool, the air is dry and lightly filled with the smell of burnt metal and ship grease. Public Service Announcements blare across the the docks reminding all pilots of station regulations. The docks contain 45 individual ship docks, several warehouses storing massive tank of hydrogen fuel, and standard shipping containers of cargo, the dock’s traffic control tower and the local pilot’s market which resides in one of the warehouses.

Ship docks
Each specific dock has a landing pad, a ship hangar and adjoining terminal. In each terminal there is a passenger waiting area, the dockmaster’s control tower and several dock crew vehicle bay.

Warehouses
If the docks were already unpopulated, warehouses would be completely vacant of anyone if not for a small handful of security staff. Warehouses are completely automated and highly guarded facilities as they contain massive amounts of valuable and flammable material.
"Loitering is a crime punishable by death" - Station Announcements

Pilot's Market
The pilot’s market is best described as a tourist trap for pilots. Every person who’s not a pilot is trying to guile a pilot to part with their credits.

"The station administrators would like to remind all pilots that transactions in the pilot’s market are not protected by Citi Gateway or The Bank of Zaonce" - station announcements

General Roleplay Etiquette:

1. Control only the actions of your own character(s). (AKA: God Mode)
This doesn't matter how small the action is, even if it is as simple as scratching their nose or a direct reaction to something else that just happened. This applies to everything from casual conversation to full blown fight scenes. If you'd like someone to do something specific, PM that person, however keep in mind they are completely within their rights to say no. Especially if said action is inappropriate to their character and/or circumstance.

2. Don't brute force your way into another persons RP.
Approaching with a conversation starter is fine, or indeed some other small action. However charging in, guns blazing and disrupting the flow of another person/pair/groups conversation/arc is about as rude as doing so in real life. If something is going on that you'd like to participate in, be subtle about it. Put out a gentle hook for someone to take, but again, be aware that said hook may not be taken. If you fear it was simply unnoticed, PM the person or people it concerns. Or even leave a message in the OOC forums.

3. Good grammar and spelling is preferred.
We're not asking you to be perfect, but please at least demonstrate willingness. no1 iz gna tak u srsly usng txt spk. There's a wide variety of people here, many who speak English as a second, or even third language. There are even some with varying degrees of dyslexia and/or likely other issues that affect spelling/grammar. We accept them all here. However, people who aren't accepted, are those unwilling to accept polite correction. Remember that even a small thing like the placement of a comma, or the wrong use of there/their/they're can completely change the definition of an entire sentence.

4. Accept constructive criticism gracefully and politely.
If someone spots an issue with your writings, they may wish to help you improve that writing. They may do this through PM or even publicly air their thoughts on the OOC forum. If they have taken the time to be polite and explain what is wrong with your writing, the best way to behave is to respond in kind, using the same manner they have approached you with. It means they have taken an active interest in what you have written and wish to see more. Basically, you have a fan!

5. Don't take the actions or opinions of things done IN RP, to be directly relevant to the writers thoughts or opinions.
Basically, if some ones character calls your character a jackass, it doesn't mean the writer thinks you are a jackass. It's a ROLE they are PLAYING. Watch a movie. The argument between the characters isn't an argument between the actors involved. The same applies here.

6. It's not a popularity contest.
Your RP might be bustling with participants. You have 3 people off station in a fire fight, while another 2 are infiltrating the darkest areas of the station, meanwhile a group of 4 others are tracking your movements in an effort to stop you. Good for you, I'm sure it will be a thrilling read! But you know what? Sometimes the absolute BEST work, comes from two RP characters having a simple heart to heart. Both are valid, both are great, but NEITHER is categorically better than the other. Period.


Inara RP Etiquette:

1. Respect the setting and rules of the universe.
Inara is an Elite: Dangerous 3rd Party Tool. The RP Forums are set in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Elite: Dangerous has rules, as any fictional universe does from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, or Game of Thrones to Star Trek. If you intend to RP within the Elite: Dangerous universe you are bound by the history and rules of that universe. Simply put, this RP forum is bound by the same rules as the game, so if it can't be done in the game, it is not permitted here. This applies to things from a 50Ly Jump Range on a normal, unmodified Sidewinder, to the destruction of entire stations.

2. Respect the characters created by others.
We have a wide variety of characters already here. It's expected that some will be similar, just as it's expected that two characters will be vastly different. Opinions of each persons character will naturally be varied, but all are valid provided they follow the rules of the universe. You are allowed to interact with, or avoid interaction with, any character in the RP forums. But you have no right to belittle others for their creation. You are not an authority figure on writing, nor are you directly affected by another persons imagination. You might not like it, but you MUST respect it.

3. Be caught up on current events before joining in.
You need basic things like character descriptions in order to interact with them. You also need to know what's going on in the surrounding areas. This is simply because the people you are hoping to RP with, might be gearing up to something that you might not want to be part of. Or simply that the most recent post, out of context, could leave a different impression on the goings on than if you gather that context. We don't expect you to read every single post from the beginning of the forums, just enough to get that basic understanding.

4. Either subscribe to, or frequently check, the Roleplay: Q&A and OOC forum.
People may be discussing something relevant to you there, or even discussing you directly. Perhaps someone asked what the general consensus on the existence or non-existence of a certain object. Or we're just chatting about random gibberish. Either way, be aware of it and use it. If you're unsure about something, such as how guns would look and or behave, or even the music selection, use the OOC forum to ask. We don't have all of the answers, but the collective knowledge and logic usually allows us to overcome an issue and come to a decision on what should be allowed. Frontier Developments, and even David Braben himself, don't have the answers to every possible question that can be asked.

5. Large Scale events exploding out of nowhere are a complete no go.
We get it. Everyone wants their character to be noticed and for people to be tripping over themselves to interact with them. In some audiences, an introduction involving you blasting in for landing in a fiery wreckage of a ship, before cart wheeling out and sword fighting 35 Ninjas before whisking off with the local celebrity for a glorious night of passion, is in fact, cool. This is not one of those audiences. It is generally considered better to build your character up slowly over time. Eventually, you might even have a legitimate excuse to fight those Ninjas. Maybe even with other RP participants by your side.

6. Perfect characters are boring.
The point of a character arc, is that it is in fact, an arc shape. One who is morally unquestionable, fully kitted out and an infinite fountain of knowledge, cannot go through an arc. Give your character flaws. Be it a tendency towards befriending the wrong people, or a bad knee that frequently gives out at inopportune moments. It gives readers something to latch onto and empathise with. You can give your character exceptional capabilities at something, but it requires balance. She's a damn good pilot with no equal, but can't drive an SRV for peanuts. It can lead to some very interesting moments between characters, be it heartfelt or comedic.


Other Notes:
It should be noted that there can be exceptions to these points. For example, good grammar when a character is speaking is actually rare. Few people in real life actually speak with perfect eloquence after all. Or previously arranged actions during a fight scene, such as someone stumbling back after a punch. What's key to remember is context.

All in all, remember this is purely for fun. We have some seriously talented writers here, and others whose writing history starts and ends at high school. But many are willing to help out in whatever way they can. All it takes is that you ask nicely.

Also keep in mind that many people who RP here, also have logbook stories related to the character, or characters, they portray. If it looks like there's an "in joke" going on that you're unsure of, it's probably in those.

In fact, some users have even gone to the trouble of creating "alts" to RP with. If you read back far enough, it's usually pretty clear who has and hasn't, and which ones are the "alts". It's therefore not unheard of to see the apparent seizing of control of other characters. If you do spot one, point it out in the OOC section. If intervention is needed, it will be sorted quickly and (hopefully) politely.

Most, if not all RP participants here have Logbook stories pertaining to their character(s). These are for the reading pleasure of anyone who wishes to do so. While it can be useful to read them in order to gain a bit of backstory on a character you wish to interact with, it should not be assumed that your character shares that knowledge. Within the E:D Universe, these Logbooks either don't exist, or are private diaries kept by the characters. Either way, without explicit statements to say otherwise from the writer, your interactions should reflect that your character is in the dark about any information you, the writer/reader, have gained from reading the stories.
Kasumi Goto
02 Aug 2023, 1:32pm
I’d chosen to ignore the remark of the man in his trench coat, not thinking much of the ‘professional expertise’ of a pirate, about as much as they held a code of honor. Or most of them, at least, not that I particularly cared.

One thing that I did care for was to get the administrator transferred over, while looking at a terminal to decide which ship to take to HIP 19600.

“EDI, schedule transfer of the escape pod in the cargo hold. Have the dock workers bring it to an Anaconda of a ‘Jenna Marquez’. She’ll want to see to its occupant.”, I said, speaking into my wrist computer.

An audio blip came from the device to acknowledge the order, so I turned my attention back to the terminal, accessing its shipyard function. I’d decided to go out in my in-Bubble Phantom, with an appropriately modified loadout to go into Thargoid space.

Getting it set up and flown to the station would take some time, anyway, so I could be certain the escape pod would be off the Corvette by then. Something that, unbeknownst to me, make my investigation of the Dedicant significantly easier.
Kasumi Goto
02 Aug 2023, 1:59pm
My wrist computer buzzed with a message, which I decided to read, since I had some free time on my hands.

Hi.

If you want to fill me in with details about Silvia's disappearance, then I'd like to listen. Who knows when we might meet again, and time is important here, as far as my knowledge of the situation goes. Maybe I can help with something. I'd like to.

Ina Muir, Flight Leader, AXDF.

‘Anti-xeno defense. Of course. Has an odd name, too.’, I thought to myself. ‘I really know how to pick people well.’

A certain hint of sarcasm colored the second half of the thought, considering that I was starting to be closer to a Thargoid than a human at this point, at least on the inside. Or a hybrid, if nothing else. I decided to respond anyway.

I still have some time until my ship gets here. I’ll be lurking around the docks until then, if you get a moment to drop by or want to talk things through, but I guess you’re still busy with Willow up there for now so probably not. Or you can convince me to go back up to the bar for the meantime.

Thought you wanted to know why ‘totally-not-Venus’ is all pissed off at me, too. Which has more reasons than just Silvia going missing. And that’s more the thing I’m not going to talk about in a public place where everyone is listening, and cameras are everywhere.

I yet had to decide whether to actually tell this woman, who I thought had a strange name, about my semi-guarded Thargoid secret. Especially with a bunch of lunatics worshipping them dropping one of their megaships in Thargoid space, and some reports of increased pod abductions floating around. As if the Titans hadn’t been bad enough already.

The worst part of it would likely be having to explain that I wasn’t a traitor to someone who took great offense at anything Thargoid.

Last edit: 02 Aug 2023, 2:05pm
Meowers
03 Aug 2023, 2:53pm
Continued from The Bar

We made our way to the hangar where Marshmallow has been stationed.

"So, here she is. Meet Marshmallow", I said, entering the hangar. Entering the access code and opening the main airlock, I turned to look at Kasumi, "Welcome. I guess. Let's go to the cockpit, my private cabin might be too small for two. Don't worry about the door, it will close automatically soon."

After a walk through the ship's internal corridor, we reached the cockpit, I put the pistol back into the clamps on the side of pilot seat and nodded towards co-pilot's place.

"You may seat there. Or on the floor. Or lean on the front panel. Or however and wherever you like. Yeah, I like to keep things... Simple and spartan. Also, there's a container under the panel, with self-heating coffee and tea cans, some raspberry juice, water, snacks like meat jerky and biscuits, nothing fancy, but good at keeping me up and running. Feel free to dive into it if you want."

I looked at Kasumi again, like, trying to excuse for simplicity, and spread my arms.

"Yeah. Welcome. Not exactly... A luxury liner cabin, but I'm alone here most of the time. Like, almost 100% of the time."
Kasumi Goto
03 Aug 2023, 3:28pm
“I wouldn’t expect a luxury ship from something that was only built for combat. Or anything more than the basic stuff you’ll need. I’ve spent enough time on a Corvette to know that.”

I sat down on the floor, crossing my legs.

“Already said no to coffee in the bar. Won’t change my mind about it in a few minutes. Also not really hungry or anything, so I’ll pass.”

I took a look around.

“I prefer it like this, anyway. Keep things simple and easy on the eyes. Not full of awful decor, showing off and bright white colors like every single Imperial ship that ever exists. Which reminds me I still have some ‘interior redecorating’ to do on the Cutter I own, but that’s not an interesting subject.”

I decided to wait for Meowers to start up a proper conversation, or just ask whatever she cared to.
Meowers
03 Aug 2023, 3:50pm
"Yeah...", I scratched the back of my head, "Through years it all became more than just a ship for me, however... Simple means reliable. And I like to see my place reliable."

Then, seeing Kasumi sat on the floor, I raised an eyebrow slightly. This was an approach I liked, but didn't expect. So I did the same, placing myself in front of her the same way, in something like two metres.

"Hm... So, whatever you wanted to talk about. I'd like to think you're feeling safe here, and if not, then don't hesitate to tell and we'll fix it somehow. There are no cameras around, since I hate them too, and the ship systems are turned off anyway."

"The Thargoid tech, Silvia's situation, whatever topic you want to raise first. I guess the latter is important 'as is' since I'd like to provide... Any assistance I'm able to. With flying, ground operations, some engineering maybe, or just sticking around making sure everything is going fine. But I don't even know where to start without any information. Though, the former may make me understand your situation and you, as a person, better, and that's also important. I perfectly know there are things you may don't want to talk about or remember at all, though I've tried to show you that I don't have that habit of blaming people for what wasn't their fault or choice."
Kasumi Goto
03 Aug 2023, 4:22pm
"Safe... safe is relative. How do you define it?" I let the question linger in the air for a little before continuing. "I don't provide trust easily. Never have. It got harder to after... certain things happened. Long before I was turned into this shitty mess. All I need to know for now is one simple thing - that you won't hate me for being what I am, even if you hate the Thargoids. I'm not their spy or servant. Certainly not willingly."

I pointed to the badge very clearly identifying Meowers as being part of an anti-xeno task force, then slowly pulled my hood back, as if to give a sign.

"That mess with Silvia... started off as not being one. Had to make a rushed departure from her ruined mansion on Earth because nature decided to drop a giant storm on our heads. Her brother's ship crashed during it, and she returned there without me to get him back. So I followed her there, right in time to stop the first trap laid by that idiot slaver, by fighting off one of his pilots. Same guy had shot down the ship of her brother in the storm just a few hours earlier."

I took a moment to breathe.

"We returned to port and went into a hotel after that. Only her idiot of a brother had ratted her out for a cut of the reward Azimuth was offering... to then be betrayed by that Diaz guy in turn. Anyway, he had a tracking chip on him, and they went someone else to go down there after Silvia. Someone named 'jules'. Apparently her and Silvia got along for a while after her wife... 'died', not so much now. Anyway, that bitch tried to kidnap her right from under my nose with the use of sedatives. First time didn't quite work so well. That thing in my head kept me aware long enough to knock her out. Not so much the second time. And here we are. She claimed to do it because she's afraid of that Diaz, but I'm not really convinced about it."

I sighed.

"I'm still not sure what anyone else can do. That idiot's carrier is apparently guarded by a fleet of ships with all forms of engineering. Throwing one or two extra pilots in there won't really do much to change the outcome of a direct confrontation. And I don't want to bother haggling with people to get them to help, just because there's no reward in it for them."

I was now speaking in my natural English accent - though the Japanese one also was, using it usually required more of a conscious effort on my part, which there was no need for here, and I couldn't remember any words of the language, either as a result of the memory loss, or simply not using it for far too long.
Meowers
03 Aug 2023, 5:24pm
"Safety comes in different forms...", I slowly spread my arms, "Safety of body, safety of mind, an environment where you could drop your guard, and, the ultimate form of it, feel free to talk unrestricted, without choosing your words, knowing that everything will be percieved with exact and correct meaning that you put in things you say. Though... Yeah, I know that might take months and years to develop properly."

Noticing the change in her accent, I added, "And I understand why you may choose to use different expressions in public. Maybe not only for other people around you, but also for yourself. To be a different person, unburdened by things you carry from day to day. At least to think about them less. Maybe."

"And... Of course I don't hate you and I don't think you 'work' for them or whatever else. Jenna mentioned Seo during her... Outburst. I guess you were subjected to... similar atrocities".

Sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, I let my hands rest freely on my thighs, palms turned upwards. From what I knew of body languages... That meant being open, not holding back and not trying to scheme anything. Though it has always been amusing for me, since those texts were literally an instruction on how to deceive people. Even if it wasn't what I've been thinking about at the moment.

"Yep. There's a certain point after reaching which you simply can't trust people around you. You have to be on your guard, constantly. And, even if you managed to build a mutual trust with someone, this trust is easy to shatter and impossible to repair. What happens to that... Jenna? Venus? Uh. So, it's another example. Her mind pushes her to the limit and keeps her on the edge. Some people tend to isolate themselves, physically, mentally, or both. Some people change drastically, in attempt to escape, to be a different person. Options are... Countless, almost."

I exhaled deeply and looked to the side. Thinking. With my eyes unfocused.

"And, I agree. At one moment, you may think people around you may understand you. It brings nothing but disappointment, but, I guess... It's a natural, first stage of accepting that, after what you've been through, you may need personalised, maybe even strange from other people's points of view, measures to get back, to adapt and live something as close to 'normal' life as possible".

Taking a cigarette pack out of my pocket, I looked at Kasumi, with my eyes saying, like, "I hope you don't mind", stood up, reached the console to activate the cockpit ventilation system, putting it in high performance mode, and, standing next to the vent grill, lit the cigarette up.

"Some of that is... First-hand experience, as you may guess. Events change your personality, it develops with the influence of said events, it reacts and adapts without your conscious awareness of the process. The further it goes, the stronger the difference. At one point you may start telling something like 'I've almost died' so casually like it's a story about going to the grocery, and, the most surprising thing here: such events are now actually daily and casual for you, but not for other people who listen to you."

I made a long drag of vanilla-flavoured smoke, let it out to the ventilation grill, looked at Kasumi and continued.

"Yup. It's difficult to grasp that things you're saying might sound wild for people. For the first time. So, unable to process that properly, overwhelmed, they resort to simplistic, generalised, stereotypical responses, putting labels, or open disdain or whatever. Been through something like that as well. Years before the doc said me that I'm essentially a PTSD-ridden trainwreck of a person."

I finished the cigarette in silence, threw the butt away into the recycler and returned to the place where I sat. Leaning forward and looking in Kasumi's eyes, I proceeded.

"In short, fuck people. Some of them are too stupid to understand what this life might do to a human being. Not to mention understanding of measures such human being might use to get back to living. If you want to talk more about that, you're free to do so. All that monologue was, essentially, a detailed 'I won't judge you' reply, because just saying that in plain text won't do any good. We've both gone too far to trust plain words from relative strangers."

"So... Speaking of Silvia's situation. Did you want to track them down and infiltrate their place? Seems like an only option for me. That brother is a complete arsehole and I hope he's going to get what he deserves... But, screw him anyway. What I know of those shady types... Money and power are their only true gods. Am I right thinking that this... Jules might've been a deception from the very start, trying to gain Silvia's trust and sympathy only to capture her at the end?"

Last edit: 03 Aug 2023, 5:29pm
Kasumi Goto
03 Aug 2023, 6:02pm
“I didn’t really use the other accent for… well, it is for pretending to be someone I’m not, but only because it’s… well… making sure Azimuth doesn’t catch on. However much I can prevent that. But I like it now. Can be more free about myself that way. And Seo… I haven’t quite gone through what she has.”

I needed to pause to gather myself.

“Most of my memories are just… gone. There’a a few bits floating around here and there, general life story or whatever. And what few things I preserved in personal logs. I don’t… only have a few snippets of when I was in the hands of …”

I stopped. Did I really want to say this?

“Look, Azimuth isn’t… fully responsible. I can barely remember it, but there are a few bits and pieces floating around of what looks like the interior of some kind of Thargoid ship. I don’t know what the hell they did to me, but I’ve basically got their tech all over my body now.”

I decided to keep following this line of discussion, overwhelmed by all the other stuff that had just been thrown at me.

“How I ended up there… I found some logs at an old, abandoned outpost on a planet a few months ago. It’s how I know Azimuth got interested in me in the first place. They took me there three years ago. Put all the stuff they would have needed to connect me to a Thargoid ship in, except the cortical implant. Thought I was their best shot at achieving a similar result to what Seo did.”

I took a deep breath, not finding it easy to share, even after telling Silvia before.

“They still never found another ship. So I was sent off to ‘human space’ again after a few days, with no memory of any of it, and that stupid mind control chip in my head. So, then… nothing for three years. Until that bastard Salvation started to build his magic killer weapon in HIP whatever bunch of numbers. Last week of that, they used it to pretty much have me over there. Then …”

Going back to that instant in my memories, one of the few that remained clearly intact, made it hard to keep my composure, and I lowered my head for a few seconds, remaining silent.

“The Thargoids somehow became interested, after it failed. I don’t know how, or why. Unlike every other ship in the system, they didn’t destroy it. Instead, they took me along with it. Then there’s just a gap in my memories. Official logs say I returned to human space some time in September last year, after being presumed dead. But I can’t even get the details myself - locked up somewhere behind many different layers of classified in a Fed database. No idea why, but it probably has a good reason.”

I sighed.

“Anyway, a month after that, I started to notice an annoying hum at the back of my head that wouldn’t go away, and I started to feel pretty shitty all around. Phantom pain signals from when the mind control device’s failsafe basically killed me. Could barely even walk or get out of bed some days, even in zero G. And the nightmares …”

I held both hands to my head, in a clawing shape.

“I had to live with it for months before I went to Aegis with it, and they could at least stop the pin, but it made the connection better. Or worse, if you look at it exposing me to their hive mind more. I don’t know how Seo could live with it for years, although I guess she was spared the whole part where her nervous system was reduced to a burnt-out husk, and the brain damaged so badly it couldn’t continue functioning without an implant.”

I sighed for a second time.

“Azimuth ‘offered’ me their help at first. I declined, not intent on finding out if they were genuine. At that time, I didn’t know they were responsible all along. Then they tried by force. So now …” I gestured toward my hood.

“Even before all of this shit, I had to deal with a pretty shitty family that just wouldn’t accept I wasn’t a government bootlicker. And they adopted me, too, because my actual parents died before I could remember them. Only one person ever cared to take me as I was, and …” I fell silent, finding that to go too far, but the hint was already out there. “Then I was released into this world, knowing nothing about it. Thought I finally had a way to build my life how I wanted. Then those fuckjobs at Azimuth wanted me to use for their bullshit megalomania about controlling the Thargoids. Or their technology, at least.”

I couldn’t find anything else to say to the subject, for now.

“And I don’t care to be sneaky. That bastard slaver knows I’m going to come for Silvia, and I’ll make him regret every second of pissing me off. I swear on that by my scars.”

I pointed toward the noticeable one on my right cheek, running across it to the ear. Another was on my neck, less prominent, and also currently hidden by my attire.
Meowers
03 Aug 2023, 6:55pm
"Hmmm... An interior of a Thargoid ship...", I scratched the back of my head slightly. "Hm. See, memory tends to end up being fractured and fragmented when a person goes through traumatising events. Partially because the brain doesn't want to store the information, tries to isolate, dissociate from it, or whatever else defensive measures can kick in, and then it tries to lock it away from your conscious access. And partially because, at the given moment, the brain is too busy surviving, generating solutions that could keep you alive. So it lacks the capacity to memorise things properly. And it's natural. Add the 'experimentation' part to it, and there's no surprise that now you don't have a full picture in your memory. I can't remember everything about myself too, I have the 'general milestones of my life story' and several years and places just compressed into one spot, messed up and fragmented to the point where I can't tell which year and what place it was. And those memories appear intrusively now and then."

Sitting on the floor, I leaned forward, closer to Kasumi.

"And. Well. Thank you for telling me. I'm glad to be a person you can tell that to."

I relaxed, closed my eyes slowly for a moment, letting a soft smile appear on my face, and then proceeded.

"So, a Thargoid ship. Also, I heard rumours about those Fart God cultists decorating their ships so they resemble something alien, Thargoid, inside. Of course neither of us can't tell exactly now, though maybe that bunch of freaks isn't as simple as people think they are. And, of course, there are some cases of people rescued from Thargoids or found in pods or just laying on the ground on some livable-breathable planets with signs of Thargoid abduction such as caustic burns or cuts and lacerations, without signs of battle or crash-landing nearby... And so on. We treat them as POWs, help with whatever we can, trying to make sure they're going to get back to human space, etc. Seems like those Azimuth arseholes utilise a different approach."

I rubbed my forehead as if I was trying to make my thoughts run faster.

"I hope our medicine could advance to the level where removing your things may be safe and doable. Or at least neutralising their negative effects and whatsoever... I'm not a specialist here. Anyway, glad to see you're regaining your life back, that's no small feat."

"...Sooo... From those bits and pieces I picked up from your conflict... That Jenna now has a bounty to bring you to Azimuth or what? Shit. From what I know of Silvia, imagining them together is definitely a hard thing to do, like, yeah, Jenna herself is under a constant stress, but she should've had any fundamental personal traits that eventually became a foundation for becoming an aggressive and disbalanced mess she is now. Silvia told me she was nice, years ago, before that her Imperial family stuff, must've been really a long ago since it's hard to believe now."

"Anyway...", I motioned to the rifle strapped to the back of the pilot seat. "If you want some additional firepower on your side, count me in. There was a trick that worked a couple of years ago, creating chaos in one place tends to distract opponents while decreasing the number of random idiots who can slow you down. Still no idea how to get there and how to last against the whole goddamn army long enough, however. Maybe trying to sneak in, getting as close as possible and then starting the chaos only to evacuate immediately after the rescue could do the thing."

I shrugged.

"Still, a matter to discuss. I hope Jenna's information is correct."
Kasumi Goto
03 Aug 2023, 8:08pm
"Maybe whatever trauma I got from that shit doesn't help, but that failsafe from the mind control chip was designed to destroy the nervous system of whoever it was implanted on. In this case, me. I guess the Thargoids decided to try pulling it out, or maybe it was triggered by losing connection to wherever it was connected to. Besides my brain. Anyway, point is, I lost practically all my memories because of that. Not sure where the Thargoids even got some of them from. Hell, I had a nightmare not too long ago of being on... wherever they held me, and not even knowing my name, or that I was... am human. And most of my brain is basically a destroyed mess, replaced by not entirely human DNA. Hell, I have implants all over my body that are needed for the one in my head to do its thing, and they're messing with, like, my organs in all kinds of weird ways."

I showed some medical scans of late, illustrating how at least some of my body was getting turned into a mixture of human and whatever the implant was, then sighed.

"A secret between you and me - those fanatics allowed me on a tour of one of their ships once. You can figure out why. It's pretty much as you'd think in there. Needless to say, I was further convinced I made a good choice in staying away from them. But I do keep wondering if they're actually just religious nutjobs, or somehow... know something. Could also just be the ammonia fumes they're breathing in. Unless you happened to be genetically modified to breathe the stuff safely... I don't think it would be good for your body."

I closed my eyes, feeling lightly tired, and leaned my head back for a few seconds, before I carried on.

"I'm not really sure where that bounty comes from. It's not legal, I can tell you that three times. Has to be from Azimuth, but how or why they decided to forward such a thing to just her is... questionable, I'd say, at the very least. Would lie if I said I wasn't a little concerned about her still trying to go for it. As for that thing with the carrier, I'd definitely know how to cause chaos. Throwing its entire security systems upside down, while disabling thrusters and orbital stabilizers, would certainly be one... and I doubt that Venus or whatever would have much of a reason to hide the true location from us."
Meowers
04 Aug 2023, 12:57am
/edited: re-posting/

"Ow, hell..." I whistled in surprise, looking at the scans, "I'm no medical expert, though... It looks like cancer, but only it isn't. Instead of spreading wildly and creating misshaped tumours, siphoning everything from the body... It actually tries to... Sustain it. And replace damaged parts, trying to copy them, their shape and functionality, maybe using DNA as a database..."

I returned the datapad with medical files to Kasumi and continued.

"Maybe it explains why that failsafe had actually failed. Whatever tech you've got in yourself, now regained control and restarted those neural connections ruined by the chip, replacing the irreparably damaged parts," I shrugged. "I doubt it's something known to modern medicine. I don't know much above battlefield injuries, first aid and those bits of psychology."

My vision turned inwards, while I recalled events happened during the settlement siege almost a year ago.

"I doubt those fanatics actually know much. But we don't know much either, and their stuff might look realistic for some. I totally bet they're the same targets for the Thargoids, with the only difference, they don't run or shoot back. Though... I don't have any truly reliable facts to confirm or deny those theories. What I certainly know is that the Far God Cult isn't the only Thargoid-worshipping bunch, there are many smaller factions and some of them are quite radical. Lost some good people to them back then, almost a year ago."

Looking at Kasumi leaning her head, I made a comment, "You may rest in my cabin here if you want, I'm okay with sleeping in the pilot seat. Or I can go with you to your ship, and return here alone, in case of any other... outburst of human tempers, like, who knows."

"It's unlikely that Azimuth cooperates with the slaver group. Much likely they're using them as... Middlemen. A tool. To obtain what they want. But, if that slaver group has its own carrier, then it's no rag-tag bunch of dipshits not worth spending your ammo on. Though... I see a connection here. Maybe the slavers took the contract from Azimuth and then delegated it to one of their teams, or whatever. Jenna mentioned Silvia's and Melli's implants, and the fact that Azimuth wants to cut them out... Maybe they also want to have you in their hands at the same time. And... If Jenna has that contract, then Azimuth is aware of two operations going on simultaneously. Maybe they knew Jenna/Venus wasn't dead all that time, and watched her, to direct that contract to her one day, through the slavers who were sure that she's dead. Maybe they secretly want to clash you, Jenna, Silvia and whoever was left from the tops of that slaver group? Maybe to join the party and capture everyone while you're busy fighting?... I can't say for sure."

"You know what?" I added after a bit of silence, "Fuck Azimuth and fuck slavers. If you want to get Silvia and Melli out of their sticky hands, reducing some of those arseholes to piles of burned mincemeat in the process, count me in if you want."
Kasumi Goto
04 Aug 2023, 3:44am
“I wish I knew exactly what it was doing. At first, it was just… ‘fixing’ stuff. Repairing a broken nervous system. Spread a bunch of little nodes throughout, which then repaired or built new connections, so signals could go where they needed.”

I sighed.

“Scanners didn’t even pick up what was in my body until I made some… adjustments.” I pulled up a transparent holographic display of the body on my wrist computer. “See those black spots? One on each vital organ. All so that …”

I pointed to the head, where the cortical implant was visible on the back of the brain, the connections it had formed to return it to a functional state spreading from that point.

“… can do its… thing. All those other lines through the body, that’s basically my new nervous system. But …” I highlighted various alterations throughout different organs, primarily to their internal structure, the origin point being each respective implant. “This, I’m not sure why it’s doing it. What the point is. Like it’s trying to meld my DNA with… whatever it is spreading, but only on the inside. No idea how or why that even works …”

I shook my head at it, and turned off the display.

“I won’t give a doctor a nightmare if they were to look inside… well, until they make a scan - it all still looks the same, but, like… I can breathe ammonia and not fall over and die. Kind of useless, but you get the idea. It’s like I can still do the stuff humans do, and then some.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, not for feeling sleepy, but thinking.

“I still don’t know what the Thargoids wanted out of me to go to this length to keep me alive. Maybe I was just an experiment to them. I don’t know. They’re just… I know they’re not looking to kill me, but I’d be hard pressed to give you anything other than a ‘I don’t have a damn clue’ shrug for the reasons to that. I guess they’ve decided to let me be myself because I’d put a bullet through my head before I let them control me.”

I paused, not seeing much to continue that subject with from my end, for now.

“So, anyway, that whole thing with Silvia and Azimuth… I don’t think they were planning it that way. Hell if I know, though. They have a Guardian-based person preserver thingy over there, or at least the idea of one, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this was all some kind of twisted, overarching plan. They’ve sure tried to get me in once or twice already… as I said earlier.”

I suddenly remembered I’d forgotten to remark what I wanted on Jules, so I did.

“And about that ‘Jules’… I don’t think her getting close to Silvia was some kind of ploy or whatever. I don’t know the whole story but Silvia was obviously already abducted by that idiot slaver once. Think maybe that other woman helped her get out, or something, but things didn’t turn out so well after, clearly.”

Another sigh.

“I don’t think she’s bad - if you can use anything other than bad for a pirate - but just weak. If I had anything to say about it, I’d have killed myself just to spite the asshat trying to be my oppressor and control my life.”

I breathed in, then out, slowly.

“Anyway, if you care to do much about the situation, you’re welcome to join in. No idea how it’ll end up going down, but I have a feeling that Diaz guy’s not going to find a conscience before long. But that doesn’t solve the issue of requiring backup, unless I can convince the Thargoids to help… uh, that’s kind of a joke, by the way.”

It being a joke was only partly true, as I had considered the option in my head, but only if I’d had to go in alone. Them attacking Diaz’s ships and his carrier, but not ours, would raise far too many questions. And I had no idea how I would go about getting them on our side for even a brief moment either.

“So, uh… anyway. Not sure where I’ll take a nap yet, but I usually stay in my ship for most stuff. They’re more of a home than anything else has been for me, but… I haven’t really found that ship I’d do everything and anything in. Have one of these …” I pointed down at the floor of the ship. “… but I only use it for combat.”
Meowers
04 Aug 2023, 5:01am
"Phah", I gave ship floor a couple of gentle pats, "I can't say exactly how does it work, but the first time I sat in that pilot seat, I felt, like... In a right place. Like, now, you may guess she's outfitted for AX combat, but I have several sets of modules for different roles stored on our AXDF carrier. Conventional anti-ship and ground strike weaponry, dropship, infiltration and surveying stuff, high-security cargo transportation, long-range travelling, search and rescue... And so on. Was even a flight training ship once, phah. Yeah, I've had other ships, but once I finished upgrading and outfitting Marshmallow to her first role, 'corpo lapdog's and govt bootlicker's nightmare', they quickly became obsolete. Ow... That was years ago, actually."

Finishing that short overview, I stood up and went to the ventilation once more to have another smoke.

"And... Yeah. It's understandable. That you want to know what it does. At least what to expect from it. However, the good thing is, your thoughts are still 'yours', you can control them. And, I hope, you'd be able to do so throughout your entire life. Like, who knows... Those Thargoids can regenerate, that's one of their basic biological... technological... Ah, whatever, abilities. Maybe those implants are actively regenerating you, using your DNA as a manual of sorts. Also, maybe explains why chemicals have an impact that's drastically lower than expected, on you. Your own immune system plus active resistance from that... stuff."

I shrugged slightly, in attempt to show that it was just an amateur theory, and let a stream of smoke out, into the vent grill.

"Maybe you're right. If you was an experiment of sorts, and they're able to regenerate and repair human brain to some extent, even if at cost of filling the body with alien tech... Maybe they can also read your thoughts and intentions. To some level. Or, maybe, they were trying to actually create something similar to what Azimuth tried to do, but in a, khm, mirrored version, like, a controllable being that looks human but listens to them. And, seeing that you are still 'you', they stopped, at least with you."

I sat on the edge of a front panel and put both my hands on it, leaning back a little.

"Whatever Azimuth and those pirates may be planning... I'd say, the best solution is a big middle finger right into their smug faces. Azimuth are war criminals in our books, no matter what goals they pursue, we can't tolerate their methods. And slavers... They're slavers."

Finishing the cigarette, I took a self-heating tea can out of the container and made a small sip of that soft refreshing drink, to compliment the taste of vanilla smokes. Then, with a can in my hand, I returned to the place where I sat, and spent a few seconds with my eyes half-closed, thinking about Kasumi's words about the Thargoids.

"Hmmmmm... It may be a joke. But may be not. Remember that distraction thing for Creamy's Maelstrom run. See, in this case there might be a problem. Some people say Thargoids have a hivemind. Some say it's a complex, intricate system of data transferring, relaying and processing that might look like a hivemind. Anyway... I don't think they know me, like, me, a human, personally, but they certainly know Marshmallow. Whatever they have for our threat indicator, is going off scale when they see me. No surprise though... But, yeah. Dropping dozens of angry bugs on slavers does actually sound funny, phah."

I took another sip of tea, feeling quite relaxed.

"Any of your ships, on the other hand... Is a more stealthy option. From what I know at the moment, we should somehow get onto that carrier, find Silvia and Melli, grab them and run the heck out of there. Though, if we aren't going to provoke the Thargoids, Marshmallow is a good option too, she's fast, heavily armoured and outfitted for minimal thermal emissions, can literally disappear from the sensors."
Kasumi Goto
04 Aug 2023, 6:21am
“If we go on that carrier, I’m not going to half-ass it. Either we go in and tear everything that bastard has built up, or we don’t. I’m not taking any other argument or option.”

My tone was very firm and clear in this, tolerating little to no opposition.

“And when I said ‘Bring the Thargoids’, I didn’t just mean ‘Piss them off until they come and start shooting everything’. Just dumping enough Guardian cargo near the ship would do that, but that’s not my plan. Whether you’ll believe that getting them on our side could work or not, I’ll leave that in the air, but there is something on the other side that can be reasoned with, to an extent. Not that the superpower propaganda likes to admit they are more than mindless beasts with only instinctual intelligence.”

I shook my head.

“Could write you a dozen paragraphs about that nonsense and how this war is completely manufactured, but I digress. I don’t know for sure what, or if, the Thargoids can hear anything from me through this, but I sure as hell can.”

I tapped on the side of my head.

“Maybe they can if I’m close enough to one. Or they are always passively aware of it, and where I am. And they’ve shown some… inclination to be more… how can I put this, welcoming, to me. Sure feels like I get bothered a lot less when going around the places affected by the war, even though I fought and killed a few… probably not nearly as many as you, though. And also haven’t for a few months - not exactly a thing I enjoy. Also only in defense of others in the Bubble.”

I stopped myself from going down that rabbit hole further, and returned to the initial thought train.

“Point being, while it sounds crazy, I might have the option to… call for backup, and make sure they only target what I need them to. As long as you don’t shoot them, that is. I have reasons to suspect we’re just dealing with basic drones, as in, the simplest of Thargoids, that act on some basic parameters and what they are told to do. Whoever’s giving the orders is sitting somewhere way back, much like our generals would.”

I let it sit there to leave room to react.

“Oh, and when we’re done, I might dump that carrier into a star for good measure. I can arrange a convenient thruster failure. And basically turn the entire carrier’s systems into a scrambled mess once inside.”
Meowers
04 Aug 2023, 8:31am
"Ow", I was sipping my tea while listening to Kasumi's first sentences. A wild smirk appeared on my face, I poured more tea into my mouth and put the can on the floor with an audible clank. "I thought it was an assumption. Or an option. But 'making the bastards burn' is literally somewhere between 'friggin awesome' and 'hell let's do that' on my scale."

"Of course, I'd like to find some evidence of Azimuth cooperating with those lowlife fuckfaces, to justify my actions, so that blah blah blah here," I started slowly moving my palms left and right, in attempt to show useless bureaucratic paper-pushing, "blah blah blah there, and authorities won't start asking my superiors why a particular AXDF officer is standing on a pile of corpses with her gun still smoking... But, you know. Azimuth has so much dirt on their hands that I can literally take my pen and draw their logo on some random bandit's arse and that will do fine."

I chuckled a little, imagining that photo reaching the higher officers.

"And the whole Thargoid plan... Of course I'll leave it up to you. I may have some knowledge about them, but I guess it's nowhere near yours. And, to be honest..." sitting on the floor, I placed my elbow on the thigh, and let the head rest on the open palm. "Every war is friggin stupid. And we don't want it. We want the Thargoids to go away and stop attacking us, humans. Of course, with that conflict going on for years, there are some revanchist opinions amongst the people, and they're quite explainable, but, in general... You may guess. Nobody wants this war."

Spreading my arms, I added, "Do you want this war? I think no. And I don't want it too."

"And, yeah. I saw their behaviour and have some assumptions formed already, definitely, whoever is giving orders, is sitting way back, and... Even if they know what this particular white FDL means, her signature should be many times weaker than one of a carrier. So, if your plan end up being effective, I'll go totally silent and disappear from their vision, dropping heatsinks. And, if not, I can act defensive and give you some time to get out of the heat, following you after the jump."

I nodded towards the rifle once again.

"I don't know Thargoids enough to tell arsehole Thargoids from non-arsehole Thargoids. But, that thing... Is definitely effective against human arseholes."

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