Elite roleplay: The galactic bar

INGABA (Inara Galactic Bar)

Welcome to the swankiest bar and most popular bar on station. Located in the Pilot's market and due to its close proximity to the docks is heavily frequented by pilots and all manner of crew, tourists, and layover passengers. Dark, smokey and trimmed in neon lights and bits of tinsel, InGaBa plays only the best music straight from Radio Sidewinder and local DJ star, Janten Groove.

There are various tabled and seated cubby holes that patrons can hold private conversations as well the main bar top where all assortments of drinks and bar food can be ordered up. On the back of the bar on various shelves, from all over the galaxy, the fines and rarest ales preside. next to the impressive collection are several screens that can usually be seen playing adverts or the CQC championships.

It is the most prominent choice for meeting up with other pilots to discuss business discreetly, whatever they may be...

Notice booking the InGaBa for private functions require a deposit of 250,000 CR to cover potential damages.

InGaBa drinks menu:
  • Cubeo Gold - Mid Whiskey
  • Achenar Blue - Upscale Whiskey
  • Kamadhenu Red - Red wine
  • Old Sol - Scotch
  • Barnard's Choice - Gin
  • Crown Jewel - Cocktail
  • Pegasi moon - Pirate Surprise!
  • Supernova - Cocktail
  • Barron's Head - Beer
  • Lavian Brandy
  • Alioth Sparkling - Sparkling Wine
  • Jaques' Quinentian Still - Gifted by a mysterious benefactor, two of these rare devices now distill single shots of whiskey from whatever is on hand for the patrons of 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.
01 Aug 2023, 11:56pm
"I'm not completely sure, no. But he sure had ships in place awfully quickly for a deployment from outside the system, I can tell you that."

I sighed.

"Doesn't even matter. I guess he could just have had someone screw with the nav system to bypass the lock, but he's long gone. I'd go looking already, but as it is, I don't want to poke around in Azimuth's main holdings without being absolutely certain I'll find him. Or be in the right place, for that matter."
01 Aug 2023, 11:59pm
Wild Jim sauntered in, as he often does to establishments specializing in alcohol, with a purpose in his step, and went directly to the bar. "Beer, dark and thick enough to chew," he told a bartender. "None of that horse piss stuff." While waiting for his thick, chewy beer, he glanced around the place, finding a mix of civvies and slingers. As for him, it was obvious by the helmet-less dominator suit under his grey and black fatigues and the P-15 on his right hip that he fit into the latter category.
02 Aug 2023, 1:59am
Wild Jim finished his chewy, dark beer, then another two in quick succession before settling his bill and sauntering back out. He needed to go talk to a handler about a job. Rumor was that the handler had something other than settlement security, which was steady pay but boring as hell. It sounded like the handler had wetwork contracts to clear out scavengers and pirates. Whether it was solo work or part of a small team did not matter much, as long as he was sending rounds down range.
02 Aug 2023, 6:31am
Things had gone quiet in the bar, and I was beginning to feel a sense of… urgency, in wanting to see the fate of the Dedicant for myself, now that its location had been reported. I’d need a different ship than my Corvette to go there, but that didn’t bother me - I generally preferred a medium ship for most things Thargoid.

Standing up, I waved to Meowers and Willow lightly.

“Nice talking, but have to go. You two know where to call if you want. Or maybe you’ll catch me down in the docks before I’m gone.”

With that said and out of the way, I went to the bar counter and paid for my orders, then headed out and away. I didn’t particularly feel like telling anyone where I was headed, if only to avoid them being concerned.

Double-checking the location on the way, it turned out to be closer to Maelstrom Thor than Indra, which was curious, given where the distress signal had originally been discovered, while also proving my initial assumption wrong. But I’d have my answers soon, so I chose not to think on it too much.
02 Aug 2023, 8:11am
"Ah well, fuck 'er then, if she don't want professional help"

Vodan stood and rolled his head.

"Come on Bell, I need some sleep. Good luck storming the castle!" He called to Kasumi "Your chipper personality, and go get'em attitude will win the day!"

His piece said, Vodan and his first officer started for the door.
02 Aug 2023, 11:57am
'Hey space ninja transfer that administrator to my ship before you leave. It's an anaconda. I need answers. Time is not something Silvia has much of right now.'

Plus my time on station was limited. Security said once my business was concluded I needed to leave. They didn't exactly give me a time frame but I had a feeling that time was running short.
02 Aug 2023, 1:38pm
I was somewhere at the halfway of another coffee cup when the chaotic conversation around me ceased and people began leaving the bar to do their important things. My own assignments were waiting for me as well, though now I wondered, like, can I be in two places at the same time, to provide some help with searching for Silvia and do what I was supposed to do, namely probing and prodding Thargoids in the Maelstrom system nearby. Watching everyone headed for the door, I shrugged slightly and then looked at Willow, who was sitting at the table next to mine.

"Hm. I guess it's only two of us left here now. Feel free to ask if you need any help, considering that arm of yours. Name's Ina by the way."

Then, after a few moments of staring blankly at a random direction while forcing my thoughts to run faster, I decided that it should be better to know more about what the actual heck is happening with Silvia, to plan my next actions more precisely. I pulled my communicator out of the pocket, then took the contact info card given by Kasumi and composed a quick message:

"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."
02 Aug 2023, 2:08pm
"Er, like, no I'm good. Oh wait, could you check the cap on my extract bottle is tight please? I totally don't want that stuff leaking in my pocket"

Willow tentatively pushed the little bottle to Meowers.

"So its a great pot you know? Real strong, and like, not way it can leak, but I never figured on closing it up one handed I guess"
02 Aug 2023, 2:35pm
"Yep. I guess it's better to be sure with these things", I finished my coffee, came to Willow's table and took the bottle. While twisting the cap strongly enough to close it tightly, but not overly strong as I didn't want to damage the threading, I've had a moment to glance at her meal. It was somewhat familiar, only if in a more fancy and colourful 'mass civilian market' package.

"Is that... Un-meat-able? Phah. Always wondered why they've chosen that name."

I tilted the bottle a bit to make sure the contents are comfortably staying inside it. Everything seemed to be okay, and I put the bottle back on the table.

"Yup... Here you go."

Then my communicator emitted the chirping sound of an incoming message, but I thought it would be more polite to hear Willow's reply first, before reading it.
02 Aug 2023, 2:51pm
"Thanks, I'll just put that in its pocket before I like, forget"

Looking for something to say Willow grasped at the most recent event.

"Um, I guess that hoodie girl is not thinking straight, right? Its tough loosing someone, and like, feeling your the only person that can sort it out, or like, you don't want to put it on someone else"

The memory of her own quest for vengeance surfaced, and her eyes unfocused while Willow looked inward.

"Yeah, real dumb" she said mostly to her self, before thinking about Meowers listening "Oh, no. Not like she's dumb, but like, that, only me mind set, you know? And fleet carriers tend to have a fleet right? So yeah, one ship can sneak on, as long as no one is looking out a window.."

Meowers had a uniform, and obviously plenty of experience in surviving the worst the galaxy could throw at her, so Willow shut her mouth.

"Er, guess I'm telling an expert how to do her job right? Sorry"
02 Aug 2023, 3:14pm
I scratched the back of my head, staring at a random direction again. Some of Willow's words were well known to me.

"Thinking straight... I'd say...", I proceeded slowly, still composing the reply as I spoke, "It's hard to say what exactly is 'thinking straight' in those moments. Like, everyone has their own perspectives and experiences, skill sets and so on. And I guess she is thinking straight now, but from her own point of view."

Leaning a little on the table, I added, "That... Feeling? Or is it a feeling, or it's more... Perceived as a plain fact? That you're the only person able to sort it out. And you don't want to put it on someone else. Well, it tends to activate our inner reserves. People act as they see right, and, since it's an intense thing, don't always have the time and capacity to explain."

"How do I put it... Like... You're a tech, right? Imagine something like... Calibrating the manoeuvring thrusters, you know their parameters, their output, how should they sound, how should they vibrate, when everything is okay, everything is in balance and you won't flip over accidentally", saying that, I flattened my palms, putting them in front of my chest, horizontally, in attempt to show something like two FDL wings staying on the same level. "And you need to do that super quick, since you should take off ASAP for... something important. So that you do things on an intuitive level, imperceptible for people around you, because you already have that knowledge, those neural links formed and... Uh. And so on."

"It doesn't mean 'doing everything correctly'. But you may guess what intensive thinking is going on during those moments."
02 Aug 2023, 3:25pm
*walks back into the bar with a somewhat bored expression on the face, completely unaware of the ongoing conversation*

“Docks are boring. Nothing to do there and I’m waiting for a… my ship.”

I sat down somewhere close to the remaining pair of faces that I recognized, glad that Vodan and his crew were gone. I didn’t want to be dealing with pirates, regardless of how much they offered, or how valuable they thought their support was. Dealing with them often resulted in getting stabbed in the back at some point, a risk I was not willing to take with Silvia.

And it also provided more space to do things without having to worry about feeling overwhelmed by too many people being around.
02 Aug 2023, 3:29pm
*seeing Kasumi entering the bar again, I looked at her and nodded, in attempt to acknowledge her that I received the message, though the bar obviously wasn't the perfect place, even with less people around*
02 Aug 2023, 3:45pm
"Oh, you're totally right, I get that. But like, its a carrier you know? And if that slaver is like that raider guy, he's got an army"

Standing up, Willow rolled the shoulder joint of her slung arm.

"So, when I'm doing a restart, I have to deal with locked doors and I can't always cut my way in you know? I mean, I know how the doors lock, and hell, I can build you a room with like, 20 types of locking door, but I still need a hacker to open the real complicated ones right?"

"What I'm saying is, when I come up against something hard to deal with, I like, ask an expert right? Did you see how those pirate guys dealt with the woman that beat up their captain? They look like experts at abduction; and are like, walking around totally free. She didn't wait for their advice you know?"

"I hope she dose her home work on the way, or that slaver is like, going to school her in why even loners need friends"
02 Aug 2023, 5:12pm
Using the pause in our conversation, I pulled my communicator out once more and read the incoming message. From Kasumi, expectedly.

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.


Considering that we were speaking about her, and she was present in the bar, and I still don't know exactly what's happening... I spread my arms and shrugged.

"She spoke to you before, and you probably know more than me about what's going on. I can only speculate and imagine her psychological state at the moment... Not enough data to build an evaluation on, you know."

"And there's another way of opening locked doors. Takes a handful of plasma rounds or some explosives. Or, if that door is weak enough, maybe even one of these", I motioned to my boots. "But, yeah, that's not... exactly... stealthy, you know."

"Since Silvia is my friend too, I'd like to provide some assistance. Though, right now, I don't even know where to begin. Kasumi herself don't mind telling me, but in... a less public place."

Turning my head to look at Kasumi, I waited for the eye contact and nodded towards the door.

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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.