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.
14 May 2024, 12:26am
“My Imperial Courier is on its way here as we speak.”

A visit to Inter Astra when he had first arrived had sorted that out. Losing “The Ghoul” was a hit to his small fleet but tracking it down would have to wait, that’s assuming it’s still intact out there somewhere.

“I plan on meeting with someone else to try to right a couple more wrongs. This girl I worked with once, Willow. She got hurt and I feel some responsibility for that. I haven’t seen her since I dropped her off at that medical facility. Probably gonna send her a message, if I don’t get a response, well, I’ll find her.”

Maul checked his data slate for notifications indicating his ship had arrived but there wasn’t any.

“After that, I’m going to find Julie Carte, one half of some wealthy corpo power couple from the independent systems, she owes me some credits for a job and an explanation.”

“But before all that, is there anything I can do to help you? You’ve done so much for me, it’d be near impossible to pay you back for all of it, but I’ll sure as hell try.”
14 May 2024, 11:37am
"Pay me back? Mr Montresor, that is a ludicrous notion." said Lambast walking towards the ring transportation stop.

"To think you owe me anything at all is nonsense. Besides, if you did pay me back, I wouldn't notice. In fact, you could be the only person that hasn't asked me for an investment now I think about it"

As they walked, Lamb pondered who from the old team had given her somewhere to funnel credits away from taxable accounts.

"Yes, Vega had a good idea that was worth dropping a bit. Even Echo and Raven came up with something, though I gave them the credits for old times sake"

Turning to give Maul a little smile "Looks like it's just you and Kai really, though Kai pretty much sends me all her bills as far as I can tell. That means your in the black with me. I do recommend getting a new FSD with the boost feature. They are rather fun, and I think you'd enjoy it, so I wouldn't mind footing the bill for that if they have them here"

Sitting at the stop, Lambast patted her knees, looking at the greenery encapsulated by the ring. Watching the stars spin by reminded her of the fight that must be taking place by now, between Mr Hooder and Red Jade.

"Oh yes Mr Montresor, there is something you can do for me if you still do your computer things"

Taking her holo-computer out, Lamb concentrated to bring up the ship files that were being used in Mr Hooders little spat. Talking slowly, because talking and using the neuralwear link was still hard, Lambast explained what she wanted doing.

"I'm currently involved with this pirate chap for one reason and another. Right now, he's in a scrap with another pirate, well imperial privateer, and I've lent him some of my pilots and ships"

The holo-computer was having trouble displaying what Lambast wanted because she wasn't concentrating on the files only.

"Now, we washed the ships transponders before I sent them in, but I have since learned that Imperial Intellagance could be involved. I don't think our rush job is going to cut it should they poke their Roman noses in. Do you think you can help?"


Last edit: 14 May 2024, 2:07pm
14 May 2024, 8:10pm
Maul furrowed his brow as he watched Lambast struggle with the neuralwear. He could think of a dozen issues with such a device but now was not the time for discussion on the matter. His friend needed help, a friend who'd been there for him when nobody else had.

"I can't do anything from here. Got nothing but this stock data slate and the clothes on my back. But my ship should be here soon. If the failsafe worked correctly, Desumashin should be the only ship to have copies of my usual toolset. That is, if it hasn't been too long and my second failsafe activated and fried the servers on board that ship as well. I've really lost track of time these days. BUT if that's the case...fuck..."

He'd been lost in thought, as he tends to do when discussing work, but suddenly he had found himself giving Lambast a frightened look.

"...The last back up location I have is, uh, and don't get mad about this. It's at your place...in the server room...with Holly."

Maul had moved Holly into Lambast's new living quarters on Hauser's Reach over a decade ago. With the amount of caution and security involved in installing Holly, he knew even then that would be the safest place in the galaxy to store anything even remotely important.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." He said, with a sigh as he looked up at the stars.
14 May 2024, 8:17pm
"Oh no. No no. I'm in a damn Mamba!" The Reach is .. .. That's about twenty-pulse jumps away in that bloody thing. Although, it dose look very good"

"Listen, Thunderchild isn't that far away, and Holly should be back in my office on board. Did you store your stuff at my place or, is Holly holding it for you?"


Last edit: 14 May 2024, 8:48pm
14 May 2024, 10:01pm
“Holly should have access to everything if his primary unit is still being housed at Hauser’s. I occasionally had everything important sent to him to manage for me just in case something like this occurred.”

His data slate chirped, notifying him of his Couriers arrival.

“Okay, if I fly Desumashin to Thunderchild, is there anyway your techs can fit one of the new FSDs to her while I work on the transponders? Got a feeling it’ll come in handy here soon. But yeah, I have a few hundred legitimate ship ID’s I’ve swiped over the years that should be stored somewhere that Holly can access. I could use them to mask your men’s ships. Though, some raiders near the Diaguandri system may be in for a bad time afterwards.” Maul smirked. “Win-win”
14 May 2024, 10:30pm
"Holly's main unit is Holly. You never seemed to grasp that. He's tied to his handwear; its the main reason he's so slow compared to a modern covas. He's a hundred and forty years out of date running of vintage tech. I physically take the dull old begger with me everywhere, and plug him into the emulator interfaces I have made for him. You bloody well designed them man!"

A long mag-tram arrived at the little stop nestled between the farm plots and the doors quietly slid open. After waiting for a few people to get off, Lambast boarded and waited for Maul to take a seat. She watched him while he settled to see if he was still emotional. There was a lot he hadn't said, and the lack of response to her mentioning of Vega was getting on her nerves. It was no fun poking a soft spot if the subject didn't respond.

"Let me contact the Thunderchild. Most of our ships are in for a refit thanks to the new drives, but maybe we have something in size three we can pull out of another ship for you"

A bit of squinting at the computer brought up the holo-bust of a brown skinned man in Errand of Mercy uniform.

"Ah, I'm pleased to see you madam. Is this a safe line?" asked the image.

Activating her studs and passing an ear piece to Maul, Lamb nodded.

"The carriers Destinies Jester and Löwe have attacked the Anansi. Captain Hooder is very seriously out gunned and may not survive the primary encounter. Kaisla and La Phresh have taken their respective wings out for emergency assistance, but its not looking good. Are you returning to the Thunderchild Madam? Captain Hooder did express great disappointment at your absence"

"I'm sure he did Captain" answered Lambast with a 'business as usual' tilt of the head to Maul.
14 May 2024, 10:45pm
Maul smiled and shook his head as he placed the ear piece in. It never failed, each time him and Lambast would cross paths, something big was always happening.

He thought about what Lambast had said about Holly, he truly never understood the workings of the ancient hardware and software that went into such a relic of an AI. Decade old memories of searching the Galactic Web for instructions on the thing began to flash through his mind.

“Lamb, if Holly is on the Thunderchild, ask them if they can have him start searching his database for the “Undead Archives” and begin his side of the decryption process while we’re on route. I’ll do my end of it once we arrive.” Maul said, unaware if the EoM Captain was able to hear him or not.
15 May 2024, 10:01pm
Lambast monitored the scoop and heat while she waited for Maul to drop into the system. The Mamba was great ship for posing outside a station, or letting its super-chrome paint job impress people that didn't know better. It was rubbish for a woman that liked getting to the destination, but not trip there.

The jump range of the Mamba was poor, and the fuel scoop was small, so Lambast was board already.

"Nine jumps to go Mr Montresor" said Lambast as soon as his ship dropped into the stars gravity well. "What were you doing while you went dark on everyone?"

Most people would pussy foot around the difficult questions. Lambast didn't.
15 May 2024, 10:31pm
For a brief moment, Maul had considered making up something or dodging Lambast’s question altogether but that’d be a step back from the new path he was on.

The coms produced static as he opened the line.

“Uh, that Carte family I mentioned, Julie, the ex wife, hired me to find an asset she’d won in the divorce from Stefan. The whole job was shady, but I owed her one for some damages I had caused.”

He brought his ship to a halt next to Lambast’s to begin the refueling process and continued.

“The asset was a megaship that’d been missing for an unknown amount of time. I found it after a few weeks of investigating and threatening some folks. The thing was in a near irreparable shape. They had signal jammers installed to hide their location as they moved about the bubble. That shit backfired though because it wouldn’t allow a strong enough signal out of the ship for a proper S.O.S when they had been hit by…whatever it was that hit them.”

Maul monitored the rising heat levels and maneuvered slightly further from the massive star.

“However, there were survivors onboard the ship. I decided to get aboard myself and help them disable the jammers. Then—“

Finding the words to describe what he’d experienced was impossible. It all sounded ridiculous no matter how many times he recounted the events.

“…Well, they were using the ship for some sort of human trials, one of the things they were testing was a form of memory erasure. Was supposed to help PTSD ridden military personnel, or be some sort of reform for irredeemable criminals.”

“FUEL SCOOP COMPLETE” The covas belted through the coms as Maul moved away from the star to cool to ship before engaging the FSD.

“I mean, long story short, things got messy and weird. Time slipped between my fingers and I feel…half alive…I guess? I’m not really sure how to explain it. Spent a lot of time reliving memories from the past. Coming to terms with things that I had repressed for years. Thats why I contacted you. I literally just left the facility I was recovering at after all of that.”

“In the end though, I did help the survivors escape and I do plan on looking into everything deeper after I’m back on my feet. I’m in no rush though. That was a violent messy end to a chapter of my life that I don’t particularly want to reread again.”
15 May 2024, 11:02pm
Lamb pulled away from the star to let the Mamba cool before she jumped again. There was a lot missing for Maul's latest round up she guessed, but at least it had the ring of truth to it this time. Not all the facts was better then a load of make believe.

"Hm. sounds like nothing much when you put it like that. A personal journey of no interest to anyone but you, and the people you worked to rescue I should think. However, I think you maybe underselling the experience"

Coming around on the next jump beacon, Lambast engaged the FDS. She held the La'Bast 24 off target so it didn't jump as soon as the drive was charged, and waited for Maul to get quite close.

"You said weird. I like weird. No one talks to me about weird"

Although they were still in supercruise traveling at multiples of light speed, the size of the star and their speed relative to each other made them appear to be sail boats, slowly drifting on a dark ocean. Serene and peaceful.

"When we get to the next star, you'll have to tell me about the weird. This bloody thing uses about a third of a tank every jump, so you'll have time"

Activating the supercruis boost, Lamb left Maul standing. She'd told him he may think the boosted FSD was fun, but he wouldn't get it until he'd seen it. Once the Mamba's heat got into the seventies, she aliened the ship to the jump, and left the system. She hoped seeing the boost in action would give Maul something fun to look forward too. Lamb felt he could do with a frivolous distraction.
16 May 2024, 4:25am
“Damn Lamb! You weren’t kidding about those new FSD’s! You blasted out of sight in no time flat!” He said with a silly grin on his face as he engaged his FSD, following Lambast to the next star.

As Desumashin traveled through witchspace, he stared blankly but deep in thought out of the cockpit at the various colors passing by. There was no way to make sense of the “weird” side of the happenings on Sepultus Memoriae, at least not to Maul.

The ship ripped out of witchspace near the star Lambast was currently refueling at. He targeted her ship and approached to fuel up himself.

“So, this next part is going to sound…unbelievable…but I believe it was because I was under the influence of whatever trippy brainwash shit they had going on in that megaship. Time was impossible to track, I felt like I had been there a week or two tops but it’s evident that I’ve been gone significantly longer than that. The damned Thargoid war was in its infancy when I found the ship and now…well it’s very much not.”

He was beginning to ramble aimlessly and took a moment to regain control.

“…Anyway, time didn’t feel linear there. I would wake up and experience things and see things that I didn’t understand, but would later discover that I was in fact the cause of the things I had experienced and seen. Like I was speaking to myself from the future and the past simultaneously. Things would repeat, erase, repeat. Each time having slight variations.”

“It was like, imagine yourself walking through a closed door. You don’t know what’s on the other side but in your head, you picture something before opening it. You open the door and it’s nothing like you pictured, and that’s no surprise because of course you wouldn’t know. Now imagine if that door led to every possible thing you COULD think of but not all at once, because there is only one “you”. But at that exact moment you opened the door, there became endless individual versions of “you” that saw every individual possibility of what could be on the other side….”

The tone of Maul’s voice made it very clear that he struggled to believe in the things he was telling Lambast, but she had asked, and he did warn her.

“…I don’t know, it had to have been something on the ship itself messing with my mind, maybe something airborne. I mean, I saw and spoke to a goddamn deer, Lamb. You know, the Earth creature, antlers, fur and shit. How goddamned ridiculous is that?”

The coms fell quiet after that as Maul began to recall memories from his childhood, memories of his parents, memories of Vega, memories of Tessa, Bryce Morgan, Khelan, Omi, Willow, Descartes, Darius, Hondo City,…everything that had led to now.
16 May 2024, 8:02am
That all sounded very quantum to Lambast. The infinite you, and their perceptions of what the other you has done, or not as the case my be.

"Yes I know deer. My solicitor has a lodge where they have been introduced. Him and his friends stalk them; I bet Kavanagh never considered talking to them"

Still a fair amount of scooping left. She had plenty for the next two jumps, but having spent many months out in the black exploring, Lamb liked to fill up. Being stranded in the core systems was still unpleasant.

"I'd like to put your experience down to your brain being deep fried and battered thanks to your treatment of the poor thing, but it reminds me of something I once saw. Not as grandiose, but still odd"

"Have you ever been exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy Mr Montresor?" asked Lamb as the covas counted down the next jump.
16 May 2024, 8:25am
Lambast Mercy "I'd like to put your experience down to your brain being deep fried and battered thanks to your treatment of the poor thing, but it reminds me of something I once saw. Not as grandiose, but still odd"


Maul had already considered his bad habits as being the sole cause for the odd experiences he'd had. After all, it made the most sense, but something still felt off about the whole thing. He shrugged the feeling for the time being.

Lambast Mercy "Have you ever been exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy Mr Montresor?" asked Lamb as the covas counted down the next jump.


"Yeah." Maul nodded." "A few years back I took a break from the bubble. It was peaceful, finding random planets with decent G's and spending a week or two on the surface just exploring or relaxing in my ship."

He pulled his ship away from the star and lined up behind Lambasts ship for the next jump.

"Why do you ask?"
16 May 2024, 8:51am
"Because I didn't think you the type to go exploring. I am surprised. See you soon" Said Lamb just before the Mamba jumped.

The next star wasn't scoopable, so Lamb just drifted out of it heat influence and waited for Maul.

"I'm also surprised you found it peaceful, I would have bet you found it far too boring unless you had a stash with you. I take it you did?"

Lamb thought about what she had just said, and decided it was inappropriate considering Maul had seemed genuine about wanting to make a change.

"Forget it, that's not important. I found it mind numbing, and extremely taxing the longer I stayed out. In fact, at times I found it terrifying. Once I was on a planet tens of thousands of lightyears away from the next person, and there was a knock on the back door of of my Phantom"

"I like to think I'm the most dangerous thing in the room at any given time, but the unknown dose scare me. At least with the unknown knock, I could leave the planet. It was very different when the unknown things happened on my damn ship. How did you deal with feeling trapped with your torment?"
16 May 2024, 9:57am
"I dealt with it by dosing Onionhead." said Maul, very matter-of-factly. "But that was way before I went overboard with all the other stuff."

"I wasn't dosing everyday either. I did genuinely find peace in being so far from everything and everyone, solely relying on myself out there. Being in a survival mindset helped offset the nagging voice in my head...which probably explains a lot more about me than I ever realized."

He paused to think as he prepared for the next jump.

"Being on a station surrounded by millions of people but feeling totally alone is scarier to me than being out in the black where you are actually physically entirely alone. If that makes any sense. It's part of the reason I stay so distant from everyone. I always told myself it was because I felt like they'd be safer if I weren't around and there is some truth in that but in all honesty, it's mostly because I struggle to really connect with people. Being fucked up made it easier and helped cloud my mind process."

It felt strange being this open about all of these things with another person. He'd spent years building walls and was single handedly tearing them down with each true word spoken. Yes, it felt strange...but it also felt nice.`

"Take Vega for instance..." Lambast had poked this soft spot a couple times now and Maul decided to finally address it. "...the last time we spoke it was about our own individual futures and goals in life. She mentioned getting her license to fly, starting a business, having kids, settling down on some ELW somewhere and putting her past behind her, "where it belongs", she said. None of that sounded like something I wanted. Hell, I don't think I even truly know what it is I do want. Never really saw myself making it past 30, always thought I'd die on some job, yet here I am at 32 still kicking, still putting in hours for The Network, and still not knowing what I want. I want to say "to be happy and content" but that's such a copout answer."

With the jump complete and Lambast's ship in view again, he checked his fuel gauge and waited for her to take lead.

"What about you Lamb, ever think about what you really want out of this life?"

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