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.
01 Oct 2023, 9:44pm
Jim toggled his shield, disengaged the magnetic boots and jump-boosted into the bay, sailing over Willow’s ship to land between Willow and her attackers like some dominator-suited action hero. Without his helmet, he had no fix on the combatants, but laser blasts flashing by him from the men shooting at Willow made him think they were shooting at him.

Finding himself in the open, Jim emptied the pistol’s extended energy cell using a series of controlled, three round bursts to advance toward the attackers and toward the cover of a container lift.

Once behind the container lift, Jim ejected the pistol’s spent cell and loaded another. “It’s fine with me if don’t wanna talk this out,” he shouted, and with a huge grin on his face, added, “I can do this shit all day!”
02 Oct 2023, 12:42pm
"Dumma rövhål" called Arvid as the newcomer blasted away.

This is why he'd wanted to deal with the Thorn girl quickly; the visitors to Citi couldn't help but stick their nose in other peoples business.

"Vihan, använd Emp-granaten" ordered Arvid just before he spent the cell on his laser pistol laying down cover for his partner, Vihan.

The moment Vihan felt safe enough to peer out, he set the Emp for a short fuse and tossed it between the girl and do-gooder. Moving to get better cover from the new aggressor, Vihan and Arvid waited for the electro magnetic pules to strip their opponents shields. That smile on the big mans rugged face shouldn't be so full of confidence once his protection was gone.
02 Oct 2023, 2:33pm
Jim heard the clatter of the grenade on the deck, saw that it was an EMP, and mockingly shouted, "Fjorkin bjork!" His grin widened. Knowing he could not evade the EMP blast, Jim leaned out from cover, pointing his pistol in the direction the grenade had come from. Unconcerned he’d have no shields, he’d be waiting to burn down the shields of whoever poked their head out, thinking it was safe to advance on an unshielded foe.

Some people called Wild Jim bat-shit crazy in a fight. Some called him fearless. Jim, however, had confidence in the three things that mattered most in a firefight. His experience, his Aggressor Variant dominator suit, and the Valkyries, whose voices he heard in the rising skreee of the EMP grenade just before it detonated.


Last edit: 02 Oct 2023, 2:45pm
02 Oct 2023, 6:24pm
"Oak?" asked Willow in disbelief looking at the back of the man-wall as she got a better grip on her plasma pistol.

How the hell did he know where she was, and like, wow! That was crackerjack big brother timing. A grenade bouncing to a halt made Willow put her surprise to one side for a moment. The engineer recognized the type of device, and the noise of the power-cell charging its capacitors gave her a good guess to how long she had before detonation.

After taking care of the bitch that had captured Willow for The Outfit, some training, so she wasn't taken so easy again, was booked and attended. In the two months she had spent with an expensive group of bass asses, drilling Willow in many assault and capture scenarios, she'd seen variation of this play plenty.

The words Griff said on every exercise played in her head as she acted "The best way to win a game of tag? Don't be the runner" Besides, Oak was here now, she had family back up.

Firing some better placed shots that landed unforgiving plasma on the stranger's cover, Willow stood, popped open a space-worthy container and flipped it onto the grenade as is went off. If that cylinder could keep meat safe in the radioactive hell of space, a little electromagnetic party favor wasn't going to bother it.

Willows shield fizzed a little as some charge from the grenade escaped the imperfect blast baffler, but she was on a mission. Dashing over to Oak, Willow shoulder barged his big arm to let him know what her plan was. As always, she had the same effect a ball dose bouncing off a wall, but he'd get the hint.

"Lets get'um bro" she called, then she split off to draw some fire, and flank the guy on her side.
02 Oct 2023, 8:16pm
Plasma shots from behind him, though not at him. Until that moment, Jim had forgotten there was a second side in the gunfight and that he had arbitrarily joined it by shooting at the first. Not that it mattered. A fight was a fight as far as he was concerned, and any fight where he heard the Valkyries sing was bound to be a good one.

Oh, he knew exactly what the bump and the ‘Let’s get’um, bro’ meant. Jim pivoted, firing steady on the attacker’s position that Willow was looking to flank. His intent was not to hit, but to keep their head down until Willow was in position for a shot. He’d exposed himself more to the second attacker, but if Willow could get into position and neutralize one threat, the second one would be easier to take out.

Wait… was that a dark-haired, plasma-shooting Valkyrie that just bump-and-runned to get an angle on one of the attackers. Odd. He did not expect a Valkyrie to be quite so willowy.
02 Oct 2023, 8:59pm
A high energy shriek, and crackling of shields going down was the signal to charge. This fight wouldn't be won with guns "Axes bror" called Arvid taking his rune-carved axe from his belt. As Hövding, he would take the big guy, and Vihan could try to squeeze a little glory for killing the girl.

Beating her into a hospital bed was off the table now, they had proven willing to fight, so Arvid would gladly give them a warrior's death. His shield should hold over the short distance he had to cover, but he knew his enemy's protection would crack like an egg-shell under a mighty blow from his tungsten axe.

Sprinting from cover, Arvis and Vihan charge Willow and Jim. Photon fire leapt from their guns, reflecting off their axes. Letting fury boil over into his eyes, Arvis spat a war cry at Jim. "Blod för Tyr" he yelled, casting aside this gun for a two-handed swing of his axe at Jim's chest.


Last edit: 02 Oct 2023, 9:40pm
03 Oct 2023, 2:54pm
Oh, the glorious Valkyries! He heard their battle cries in the exchange of laser and plasma bolts flying across the bay, their laughter in the sparkle of failing shields. To Hell with the docs claiming brain damage from too many concussions. He heard the Valkyries. He knew they were real. And now, a real Viking! Charging him! With an axe! That must be the reason there were so many Valkyries for such a small firefight.

Jim knew the smart tactical move was to jump-boost back, keep the big man at distance and burn him with laser fire. But what would the Valkyries think about answering Arvid's direct challenge like that? No, the only way was to get in close where the axe could not be swung effectively. Easier said than done. The Viking obviously knew what he was doing. And though his suit had been engineered for defense, Jim knew this was going to hurt like hell.

Jim emptied the remaining laser shots at Vihan and threw the pistol at Arvid. Judging from which direction the swing would come, Jim dodged to lessen the impact. Arvid's axe still found its mark, sparking across the chest plate to bite between two plates on his upper arm and leave the axe stained red from a deep, to-the-bone cut. But the move got Jim close enough for an attempt to grapple the big man and bring him to the ground.
03 Oct 2023, 3:50pm
Ok, Willow had taken some pretty intense combat training, but she was still just a small woman with a broken arm. Besides, none of the training had prepared her for a bearded madman rushing at her with a bloody big axe.

Letting out something between a shocked inhale coupled with a short scream, Willow stopped mid-charge and jumped backwards just in time to save her stressed shield from a strike with an axe-head big as her own torso. Its blade cut into the cargo racking, bending the metal and buckling the shelf either side.

A gun bounced off the man's head putting him off his swing. Being at home in low gravity let Willow move with the power of the fumbled blow that brought the back of the axe into her thigh. Her already depleted shield dropped to almost nothing, draining Willows bravery. Twisting through the air, she kicked off the wall and let her boots hold her above the mad axe man, stepping backwards and dodging from side to side to stay out the way of his flailing blade.

With each swing, the heavy axe cut or crushed something Willow would have to repair.

“The hell man?” asked Willow, equally pissed off at the damage his weapon was doing to the inside of her ship, and the fact he was trying to kill her.

Now he was close, she took her pistol in both hands and managed to land some shots. The first two crackled off a powerful shield, but the third didn’t.
04 Oct 2023, 11:10am
Arvid swatted the pistol aside and hefted his axe, Jim took it to get close enough to grapple. It was a surprise in the era of guns to see a man so willing to give up his advantage to test his body against an opponent. Arvid was lifted off his feet and slammed into floor, Jim coming down on top of him hard and heavy. The axe was no use down here, and was little more then a hinderance to the real fight.

Twisting the handle, Arvid found enough freedom to hit Jim in the face with its butt. Using the small space that gave him, Arvid let go of the axe and pressed his forearm into Jim's neck to lift him and landed punch after punch into the open wound on his cheats.


Vihan wasn't doing as well. After being shot at by Jim and Willow, his shield had gone, then a gun bounced off his skull letting the girl scamper away like a frightened spider. Her last shot had hit the axe right under its head vaporising the shaft, decapitating his weapon. Worse, the hot flash and vaporised tungsten had burned his face and go into his eyes.

For a moment all he could do was grit his teeth and come to a halt. Then the pain built beyond anything he had felt before, and his cry of agony filled the cargo bay.
04 Oct 2023, 9:21pm
Arvid had more power than most. Jim felt the warm, coppery syrup of blood well in his mouth from the blow to the jaw. Then the big man’s pummeling on the axe wound caused it to tear and bleed even more under the armor.

For as reckless as Jim often was, he knew close combat was more dangerous than a firefight. It was as violent and chaotic as a dog fight. No fancy coreography like the movies, just combatants rending and tearing each other until one could no longer fight. Bleeding and dazed, Jim had to act fast.

Tangled with Arvid’s arm against his neck, Jim pushed a hand against Arvid’s jaw to force his head to the side. It did not relieve the pressure on Jim's neck or stop the pummeling, but maybe it was enough to keep the Viking from realizing that Jim reached with his other hand for a knife near his empty pistol holster.

Knife in hand, Jim stabbed at Arvid with quick, savage blows. No finesse. Simple brutality. The Valkyrie songs crescendoed; They were coming to claim one of them.
04 Oct 2023, 11:01pm
Her last shot in the energy cell hand't been a kill shot, it had hit the axe man's weapon. Still dodging back, Willow looked for a fresh cell in her fight suit. Normally, she had at least her Maverick on, but this was her first flight after staying on station for weeks, and the flight suit was easy to put on over her cast compared to the Mav.

The man's cry scared Willow so much, she covered her face with her hands and shrank down expecting the axe to end her life. It didn't happen. Peering through her fingers, the fear that had pushed her into the fetal position evaporated, replaced with curiosity and malice. From her vantage point on the ceiling, her head turned to see her rescuer, that wasn't Willows brother, wrestling with the other invader. Neither of them would see anything she did over here she thought, smiling an uncommonly mischievous smile.

Lightly hopping down to the deck with a flourish Willow was usually too timid to display, she sauntered with her hands clasped behind her rigidly straight back, to the man holding his face weeping and groaning something tiresome about his eyes.

"Come now, is that any way for a man of your stature to behave in a young ladies company?" asked Willow in an accent not her own. "Although I do suppose you are feeling rather set upon at this moment I shouldn't wonder" she agreed, contemplating the situation from her attacker's point of view.

"However, I must underline that, you are the one at fault here" she said stroking down her leg to find the long pocket where Willow kept her knife. The knife wasn't there.

No, that's right. She had hidden it where anyone could see it, and more importantly, anyone could have used it. After all, it was the weapon used to kill three men.

"An inconvenience for me, but a blessing for you a dare say" she said wondering what to do without her knife, and an empty pistol.

The man's crying was starting to get on her nerves. Here she was with a killer to dispatch, and any moment now the other two would settle their dispute. After that, one of them would come along to interfere with her fun. Then she would either have to pretend to be grateful, or deal with a second killer, while still unarmed.

"My good man!" demand Willow snatching the axe handle from his weak grip "Would you kindly be.." The heavy metal bar came down on his head.

"Quiet. I am" it came down again "trying" and again "to think." and once more she brought the handle down.

In the low gravity, Vihan very slowly and gently drifted to the floor.

"Oh! Well I suppose that will do. Dear dear, I did cause such a mess" She said looking at the puddle forming. She dropped her makeshift cudgel on Vihan, and wiped her hands as best she could with a cast in the way.

"I will have to retrieve my knife the very next time Willow isn't paying attention" she said to her self, smiling her wicked smile.
05 Oct 2023, 3:17pm
Wild Jim GrudenKnife in hand, Jim stabbed at Arvid with quick, savage blows. No finesse. Simple brutality. The Valkyrie songs crescendoed; They were coming to claim one of them.

The warm slick feel of Jim's blood on his fist was a thing of joy. Oh, Jim was fighting back, but Arvid knew he had struck a devastating blow with his axe. Soon Jim would have to buckle to the pain, especially if Arvid pushed his fingers into the wound and pull at anything he could get a grip on.

Gritting his teeth and growling, Arvid fort hard against the hand pushing his face into the floor. He wanted to see the pain in Jim's eyes once his fingers found something to squeeze. Smiling a crooked smile, they locked eyes as fingers slipped inside Jims's chest.

Suddenly there was something in Arvids neck, and just as suddenly it was removed. Pain and relief came and went with the feeling over and over until Arvid started to feel weak and a little sleepy. Once he got his breath back, he'd teach Jim a lesson about getting involved in other people's affairs, but right now he needed to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths to find his strength.

He'd open his eyes again any moment, but he felt peaceful, as if all the pressures and worries in his life had just gone way, and it was so nice to just lay there, falling asleep.
05 Oct 2023, 9:29pm
Once Arvid no longer fought, the Valkyrie voices began to fade. He assumed because they had claimed the big man, as they should have. But he still heard the ringing of Valkyrie voices, quiet and distant now, beneath a fast-beating drum. No, not a drum, his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Jim winced, the pain in his chest and arm nearly crippling him. He gave Arvid a an appreciative, heavy pat on the shoulder “You bastard,” he said, exhausted, and rolled over onto the deck, breathing heavy. This was for certain going to leave a scar. He looked down and to the left, blinked his left eye, but the blood still gushed and the pain remained.

That’s right. No helmet, so no combat HUD for automatic pain management. He fumbled for a manual control on his right bracer. Coagulant and surgical glue from the suit’s emergency medical reserve flooded the wound, mixing with blood and leaking from the gash in his armor as a frothy, pink foam that began hardening like rubber. Yeah, the wound being glued to the inside of the armor was going to hurt like hell when the docs pulled off the plates to fix him up.

He heard no other combat sounds. Either Willow or Vihan was dead by now. Maybe both. Jim stood, glanced around, found his pistol, retrieved and reloaded it. No sense using Arvid’s Axe. As wounded as he was, he could not have used it effectively, anyway.

“Hey,” he shouted, still breathing heavy and taking a few steps toward where he last saw Vihan and Willow. “Still alive over there?”
05 Oct 2023, 9:55pm
Wild Jim Gruden
“Hey, still alive over there?”

She stood statue still for a moment as if transfixed by the corps at her feet. A heart beat later, Willow came to life exactly like an android that had been turned on.

"Oak!" she called to the cargo hold, remembering her brother had swooped in to save the day at the last possible moment. Turning, she ran to the big lug, stopping dead in her tracks a good few paces away from Jim.

"Woah, like, you're not Oak" She saw the foamy gash in his chest congealing as she looked. "Wow, you're like, hurt real bad" pointed out a distracted girl processing quite a lot of new information at a particularly stressful moment.

Indignant anger crossed her face as another thought pushed its way to the front and fell out her mouth.

"Hey, what are you doing like, going a round looking like people's brother?" She realized that wasn't a sendable question, and apart from his size and general disregard for his personal safety, he looked nothing like Oak.

"Um, I mean, like I guess you just do. No, I mean thanks, I guess. Oh, or are you here to like, kill me too?" asked Willow wondering if it would be rude to look for, and reload her pistol real quick.

It was turning out to be a tough day.


Last edit: 05 Oct 2023, 10:27pm
06 Oct 2023, 6:48am
Jim caught sight of a few red spatters and smears on Willow’s pale hands. Maybe she had busted up someone with the cast. He appreciated that. Sometimes you had to use whatever weapon was available.

Willow’s mind seemed to be darting around like a hyperactive squirrel who, once reaching a promising nut, kept getting distracted by another and racing over to the new one. He waited until the squirrel paused long enough before saying anything.

“I have no idea what the hell you are talking about, they shot at me first,” he said motioning to Arvid with his pistol and then holstering it. “I just shot back.”

It was dumb luck that Willow had not been shooting when he jumped into the middle of the fight. Otherwise he would have shot back at her. That is just the way it was when he heard the Valkyries. Whenever they called, he focused on whoever offered up a fight.

Speaking of Valkyries, Jim started eyeing Willow with equal parts suspicion and assessment. Up until now he had only heard the Valkyries, but when Willow first appeared with her battle cry of ‘lets get’em’, bro’ and rushed off into the fight, he was certain that one had manifested. Now, he was not so sure. “You seem awfully scrawny for a Valkyrie.”

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