Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

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

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.
18 Sep 2024, 6:02pm
"Mhm… that could be really far away, and I don't know if all the guards here are as lazy as the last one..."

I paused and took a closer look at the controls.

“We could use the drone control to sabotage the antenna… but that will definitely trigger an alarm.”

I glanced back and forth between the computer console with the drone controls and the elevator door. “Either the aggressive approach… or we try the elevator first. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Officer Delacroix’s disappearance will go unnoticed for a while longer.”
18 Sep 2024, 6:34pm
“Fine… I guess, elevator first… then.”

I gave that door another look, taking up the ‘hands on hips’ posture.

“Do you think, it will fit, us both? Or, I wait, up here, until you are out.”
18 Sep 2024, 7:06pm
“This elevator is meant for a group of four people… at least that’s what the sign says. Including the maximum allowable weight. I think that should be enough…?”

I looked questioningly at my companion.

“In the end, only you can answer that. And maybe we should move the dead body from the catwalk and place it somewhere here, because out there it will likely be noticed by anyone who enters the hall. Maybe we should put it in the restroom?”
18 Sep 2024, 7:17pm
“Well… I, guess, should be fine. I cover space, for… two people, maybe.”

Saying something like that was still just… a bit weird, even though there was only factual truth involved. Luckily, I had something else to latch on to and not get stuck on the awkward subject of my… body’s, spatial demands.

“And, yes… did wonder, if we should move, the body. It, is… quite obvious, out there.”

Hopefully the suit the guy was wearing had automatically sealed the breaches and stopped a puddle of blood from forming underneath it. Because that would be hard to conceal and I didn’t feel like playing janitor. A concern I could have avoided if recalling that blood boiled in vacuum, as was the case in that big room for the vehicles, but I had no way of knowing that right now.
18 Sep 2024, 7:42pm
"Splendid. So we will take the elevator together once we are done here."

I recalled the unease I felt on the catwalk earlier and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Focus was crucial; the last thing we needed was more complications.

Retrieving the keycard from my pocket, we entered the airlock and completed the pressurization process once more. The outer door finally opened, revealing the catwalk and the body lying upon it. We stepped out. The suit appeared intact, with no visible breaches or blood - a small relief. I approached cautiously, my eyes scanning for any signs of movement around us… Nothing.

As I bent down to lift the body, I turned to my companion. “Could you give me a hand with this?”
18 Sep 2024, 7:47pm
"Why, it will not... be heavy... without gravity."

Or the effective lack thereof.

"... whatever."

I moved over there as well, narrowly slipping past on the small space offered by this catwalk, back half facing the railing - maybe pushed into it a little... and picked the body up on the other end.

At least, it wasn't full of blood.
18 Sep 2024, 8:16pm
“It's not just about the weight,” I replied, ”it's about getting an unwieldy object that behaves roughly like a wet sack safely across the catwalk into the control room... without dropping it down into the hall.”

Together we lifted the body and went back through the airlock, repeating the process of pressurization. We had just made it back into the room when a triple chime sounded, followed by an announcement.

Broadcast
18 Sep 2024, 9:18pm
"Well... this, could be... both good, and bad.", I remarked to this announcement. "At, least, nobody... might miss, security guy, and, we might run into less, people. But... could have done, without the ship, arriving, already."

I gave my companion an inquiring glance, as if asking what the best idea about proceeding was, now.
19 Sep 2024, 7:20am
Vasil Vasilescu Vasil was finishing up routine system checks on the Umbrella when Maul’s message arrived. Satisfied with the output from the krait’s shield and booster tests, he closed the diagnostics and opened the message. “Miffed” was probably an understatement. Things would probably get ugly if he was discovered.

Vasil called up the system info for the message origin and glaced through the info Maul sent before replying.

The appearance was mostly saying the right things to fancy people who like to feel good by giving large sums of money to charities. I should be in system in a few hours, arriving in a mark two krait with the call sign Umbrella and current reg number XFe-03.

I see that the station and repair yard has open calls for raw materials and heavy machinery so I’ll be arriving with a full cargo. With luck, I’ll look like just another low end trader hoping to make a few credits


"7 dickheads..." Maul mumbled under his breath behind a set of overly engineered digital binoculars atop a distant structure with clear vision of the entrance to the work site. A click emitted from the binoculars as a photo was taken of the entrance. Followed by a few more clicks and photos of the individuals standing guard. Though, they weren't so much standing guard as they were just conversing and hanging about around the airlock that lead out to the Anansi. Workers came and went but those 7 stayed.

Taking a break from scoping the entrance, he read Vasil's message.

"Good thinking. They look to be bleeding parts and materials over here on the repairs of the Anansi. Not to mention the other carriers. Hell, sounds like they might be happy to see you! hehehe

I'm nearly finished with casing the work site entrance. Looks like the airlock is secured by a Herculean security panel. 2 layer security. Profiler and physical dongle. Seems like they're being stingy with the dongle handouts though. Only a couple workers and even less of Vodan's guys seem to have one. Buuut I'm going to hit the bar soon and see if I can secure a clean profile clone from someone. 1 outta 2 is progress I guess.

Right, now I'm rambling.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for your arrival. Be safe.
"
19 Sep 2024, 9:02am
Kasumi Goto"Well... this, could be... both good, and bad.", I remarked to this announcement. "At, least, nobody... might miss, security guy, and, we might run into less, people. But... could have done, without the ship, arriving, already."

I gave my companion an inquiring glance, as if asking what the best idea about proceeding was, now.


“Mhm... I think this works in our favor. If most people are gathering in that conference room, the area we’re interested in might be easier to access. It would be really bad luck if they all came our way on their way to the meeting...”

Finally, we carried the body to the restroom. The confined space made the task quite challenging, mainly because of the somewhat... unusual... proportions of my companion, but we managed to maneuver the body into one of the toilet stalls.

“This will have to do,” I said, gently lowering the body onto the toilet seat with my companion’s help. We then closed the door of the cabin, ensuring it looked as inconspicuous as possible.

“Now, let’s get back to the task at hand. We have a mission to complete!”
19 Sep 2024, 11:05am
“Ok… yes. To, the elevator, then.”

I gestured for the other woman to go ahead, in part so I’d have an easier time judging the availability of space with the two of us in the elevator.

Hopefully, no security guards would be right inside it when it opened up, or when we called it if it was down below. Worse if it happened to contain a conference goer.
19 Sep 2024, 12:01pm
As my companion indicated me to take the lead, I approached the elevator and pressed the button to summon it. Instantly, a light indicated that the elevator was on its way to our floor. However, it would still take a few minutes before it finally arrived.

Minutes that felt like an eternity. I filled the time with thoughts about our current situation.

“I assume the officer’s keycard will make things easier, but I doubt he has access to the lab itself. It’s possible, of course, but I think only scientists are allowed in there. Sooner or later, we might have to rely on your hacking device… And assuming we get inside, will we have enough means to destroy it?”
19 Sep 2024, 12:12pm
I glanced at the elevator display before answering, to make sure I had the time to lay out the idea that had been forming in my head.

“Well… I, think, if the fusion reactor… malfunctioned, it would do a great job, of destroying things.”

Tilting my head indicatively, to try making it clearer what I was getting at, I continued.

“Would, just… want to be, quite far, before it goes. Preferably, with jump set out, of the system. Explosion like that, hard to miss it.”
19 Sep 2024, 1:07pm
I looked at my companion in surprise.

“Pretty bloodthirsty... But effective. The only question is how we're going to get out of here so quickly.” After all, we had arrived here on foot and had left our ship a good distance away.

I got ready as the elevator approached and kept my gun pointed at its door, ready to fire. Which turned out to be unnecessary shortly afterwards when it opened to reveal an empty elevator.

“So far, so good,” I muttered and entered the elevator, the back wall of which was marked with a large ‘A’. A glance at the elevator controls told us our options.

0 Surveillance Vehicle Bay A
1 Storage and Supply A
2 Living Quarters A / Dining Hall
3 Laboratories A1
4 Laboratories A2
5 Environmental Control


"Looks like we are at level 0 now. No conference rooms at level 3 it seems... probably they are located in another part of the facility."
19 Sep 2024, 1:36pm
“So… where, do we go? Labs, or level 5?”

What I really wanted was facility control, which this naming scheme was not helpful to finding.

“As for, leaving… maybe, we turn off defenses, sensors, then call in ship. Unless, you really want, to keep the line, and jump pack.”

In my view, those were replaceable, but I wouldn’t argue if she wanted to save those too.

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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.