Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

Your ship, deep space, anything that is not happening inside the Citi Gateway or Ingaba...

General Roleplay Etiquette:
Show more

Inara RP Etiquette:
Show more

Other Notes:
Show more
10 Mar 2017, 9:45pm
Luke stood staring at the machine in front of him. He took a moment to wander around, examining the vehicle in front of him. It was likely to be heavier than a regular SRV, which would make it slower but better handling but it was about the same size despite the differences.

"Ok... This should be fun then," he said with a grin on his face, "You ready to go now or do you need to grab a few things first?"
10 Mar 2017, 11:11pm
"I think so. I've linked up the scan data to the buggy, so what we are looking for should be trackable. But note, that all this could be a miss too." She said clicking on her Remlock helmet. The lights inside turn on illuminating her features.

She climbed in.
11 Mar 2017, 1:31am
Climbing into the drivers seat Luke began the process of making himself comfortable and powering everything up.

"Meh," he said indifferently. "If it's a miss, it's a miss. I'm happy to help out where I can, but I'm here to find actual aliens remember. Plus the company is a bonus..."

He initiated the deployment protocols and his mind fell back to the InGaBa.

"I am sorry about my behaviour at the bar by the way. I had a lot going on and then these aliens turned up. I just got overwhelmed and ended up trying to drown myself in alcohol," he said passively. "It's not what I want you to think I'm like normally. To be honest, it's quite embarrassing really..."

He took a breath as the buggy began its descent.

"Still... That's in the past now, and in the past, it shall remain. Am I looking for something specific or is this going to be one of those you'll know it when you see it type of deals?"
13 Mar 2017, 1:35pm
"That thingy" She started saying, "In front of you, scans, and makes clicky and bzzerting noises. Just follow it like a game of hot and cold."

Mhera buckled herself in the rear seat which face backwards, and recessed into the heart of the vehicle. In the small alcove were numerous pieces of scientific equipment. She worked on booting some of it up.
13 Mar 2017, 3:21pm
Luke nodded and made a noise of agreement, it wasn't the answer he was looking for but he couldn't think of a way to phrase it without seeming to be patronising. So he simply powered up and drove off, sluggishly at first but before long they were cruising at a comfortable speed.

He was very tempted to put the buggy through its paces and see if it was possible to do a barrel roll or two, those were his favourite thing to do in the Scarabs. But common sense told him that Mhera might be less thrilled than him to have all her scientific equipment chucked about the capsule, so he kept all the wheels on the ground as much as possible. Besides, the buggy didn't even have thrusters, so a controlled jump was completely out of the question. After a few minutes, the clicking was very quick, signalling that their intended target was incredibly close. But no matter how hard he looked, Luke couldn't see it.

"Umm... Mhera? I need your eyes. Am I missing something here?"


Last edit: 14 Mar 2017, 5:04pm
16 Mar 2017, 2:33pm
Mhera sighed.

"No, this isn't anything. Just a boro-silicate composite." she fiddled with her controls.

"Lets clear this contact and scan for another. I would have been surprised if our first hit was actually something."

She pat Luke on the shoulder. "But, that's how it is with this kind of thing."

She looked out over the horizon.

"There are thermic vents. If we could find one, we would greatly improve out chances of finding some sort of life."
16 Mar 2017, 4:54pm
Pressing a few buttons, Luke adjusted the scanner to clear his current contact and begin scanning for high thermal outputs. A few faint clicks told him there were some, but they were quite some distance away.

"Hmm, could be quite a drive. No worries though." He said as he sent out the instruction for the Beagle to enter a Supercruise Orbit. It always impressed him how efficiently the vessel took off and engaged its FSD.

"Tell you what though, the terrain is relatively flat for a fair distance here. How about we give you a lesson?" He added with a grin. "It will definitely help out in the long run, especially if... Y'know... Something happens and you end up being the only one fit to drive..."

Luke hoped this wouldn't frighten her, but it was important that she be able to take care of herself. Quite often he found himself looking out for the new pilots, but it felt different with Mhera. Like it was his job rather than just a way of keeping his conscience clear...
16 Mar 2017, 5:01pm
Mhera watched the ship take off.

"Wait, where is the ship going!?" She exclaimed, panic starting to grip her. "Why would it leave like that?!" She gripped the back of Luke's seat. "Were going to be stuck here!" She started hyperventilating.

She was loosing it, and didn't hear a single word Luke had said about giving her a driving lesson.
16 Mar 2017, 5:31pm
"Hmm, I guess the AI uprising has begun." Luke said thinking she was joking. But on turning towards Mhera, he realised she wasn't kidding. He stuck the brakes on and turned in his seat to look at her properly.

"Eh? What?? No... There's..." He stumbled to find the words so took a short breath. "It's just going into orbit. In a sort of silent running fashion. Other ships can't see it on their scanners so it's nigh on impossible to stumble across it."

He reached his hand over to take hers reassuringly.

"If we leave it parked on the surface, anyone could find the residual heat signature and decide to have a rummage, or worse... This way, they can't find it," he continued to explain. "It also means that, if we drive another five or six kilometers, we can call the ship in to land near us. Saves driving all the way back."
16 Mar 2017, 5:52pm
Mhera was trying to pull it together.
Her mind flashed back

____

She was crying. The street was dark, damp and musty. A mist of dew hovered over the asphalt. People were passing by, to and fro. Busy, as a market street would be. She looked up and saw a neon sign flicker. She had lost her dad. They had become separated during a transaction. He was buying a trinket for mother when a large group of people pushed past.

She was crying out. Why wouldn't anyone help her...

Then she saw a man approach, with his hands in his pockets

"Scared?" He asked.

Mhera knew better then to talk to him, but he seemed kind. Friendly. She nodded.

"Did you loose your parents?" He asked.

Mhera nodded again.

"Lets see if we can find them...." He said reassuringly....

-------

Pain, humiliation. What did she do wrong to deserve what that man had done to her? She sat huddled in the chair at the local security office.

Her father had found her. 3 days later. But he found her. She was angry at him. Scared. Relieved. Her mind an explosion of emotion...

She could hear her father talk with the security officers. He was prosecuting to the full extent of the law.

-------

Her mind snapped back to the present. That ship was her security. And it just left.

Her voice was a panicked squeal, almost horse. "Bring it back NOW!"
16 Mar 2017, 7:26pm
Luke just sat, dumbfounded. Something was seriously wrong, part of him wanted to find out, but on the other hand it was clearly wiser not to press the matter. Turning back to the controls he hit the ship recall button. Then he lowered his voice, and spoke in a calm soothing tone.

"I'm not going to ask what's up, but just know that I'm happy to listen to anything you want to discuss."

A loud bang signalled the Beagles return as it circled around them and automatically located a clear landing area nearly a kilometer away.

"There... See? Your very own guardian angel on demand," He said, hoping that wouldn't seem snarky as he unclipped himself from the restraints and turned properly again to look at her, wanting nothing more than to hug her tight so she knew everything was alright, but not sure where the boundaries lay between them. Instead he gripped her hand tight and looked deep in her eyes.

"Mhera... Nothing will happen to you while I'm here. I promise. As your pilot, it's my job to ensure that my passengers are safe and happy, and my conscience wouldn't allow me to permit harm coming to someone else while there is something I can do about it."
20 Mar 2017, 2:38pm
Mhera took a few deep steadying breaths as she saw the ship descend. The fear that had gripped her was waning. But the feeling of being foolish started to wax.

She could feel the blood and heat raise in her face. She didn't need a mirror to tell her she was beet red from embarrassment.

"I... uh... Lets call it for now..." She said in a hushed tone. "I think...." She didn't continue.
20 Mar 2017, 11:19pm
I'm 12 and what is this
21 Mar 2017, 12:05am
"I uhh... Sure thing." Luke responded. Not wanting to press the matter, he turned back into his seat properly and steered the buggy towards the belly of the DBX parked across the surface.

As they neared the vessel, he struggled to find some comforting words, but couldn't bare the silence. Undoubtedly, Mhera would be feeling embarrassed, shaken and probably unwilling to respond to much. Instead he opted to slightly change the subject.

"So... When you say call it for now, do you just want to park up somewhere or head back to the bubble?" He asked calmly. "Or we could nip over to the Barnacles, they're only a few jumps away. We could grab a couple of Meta Alloys for your studies too."
21 Mar 2017, 3:37pm
Mhera was shamed. She felt stupid and childish.

"Ya, that's fine." She said in a hollow voice. "I don't think I can do much with the barnacles, but to see one..." She shrugged.

She didn't say anything else and once the moon buggy was stowed away, she made an excuse to be left alone, and shut herself in her quarters.

Post a reply

You must be signed in to post here.
ROLEPLAY ONLY! Respect the universe settings!
If you are new here, please try to at least partially involve in the ongoing stories and conversations instead of establishing a completely different "arc". You can always turn it to a different story later.