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.
16 Mar 2024, 10:33pm
I stared at Wild Jim. “Valkyries? What is that supposed to be? I have no idea what you're even talking about. And who fights with axes these days? I mean, good for you for surviving that, but.... Look Jim, after my parents died I was raised by people who scavenged Guardian sites, so I saw a lot of weird stuff early on. Some of it seemed like a miracle because we couldn't explain it. But ultimately everything is a product of science, not magical mumbo jumbo.“ I sighed, and slowly looked from one person to the other.

“I need to be a little more drunk for this kind of conversation, or a lot more drunk, honestly. My point is, I don't believe in magic or battle angels, but I will believe in something like a malfunctioning teleportation gate. I'll believe in Guardian tech turning itself on in response to our stupidity. Hell, I’ll even believe in Azimuth experiments working out. That sounds just as magical and scary, right?“

Then I took a big, long draught. The big sip had an extra-pleasing bite to it. Ahhhh, what a joy! To me it had this quality of an oxy-stick or other industrial-grade paint thinner: something you sprayed to remove something else from the inside. With the glass still halfway to my mouth I savoured that harsh and fiery sting of the liquid burning down my esophagus and straight into my stomach lining. I could feel a vague and pleasant sense of euphoria crawling its way over the top layer of my skin. A happy thought drifted in my mind: Maybe, just maybe I could wash away my entire past like a slate wiped clean. To that degree I’d be fine with Blondie. It sounded anonymous enough; and I had been named worse.
16 Mar 2024, 10:53pm
"Alright, Seven, we'll call you Day-Carts. Any particular reason it is not Night Carts or Afternoon Carts?" A slight, amused smirk caused his moustache to move. Jim understood the name was Descartes, but he thought he'd play the meathead and pretend he did not understand. After all, he looked every bit the part of the stereotypical shooting-solves-everything gun for hire. "Oh, as for me, I'm usually about 105 on the scale, give or take a few kilograms. "
16 Mar 2024, 11:09pm
Everyone in that group seemed busy with talking, or drinking, so... I decided now was a good moment to stand up, after double-checking that the holo-disguise on the belt was fine. Luckily, most of the other visitors had turned their attention to someone else, or the news broadcast on the screen announcing Titan Leigong's imminent demise after the loss of its final heart. With the volume of recordings muted, thankfully. I did my best to ignore that and how I could very much tell this was the case from within me, too. If anyone was aware of the secret despite the world's best attempts at getting it out... it was best kept hidden until the right point to reveal it. If there ever was one.

If they did know, I would talk about it openly if they weren't rude about it, or anything in that direction.

I walked closer while keeping a more than respectful distance and tried to place myself where there was no risk of more bumps, both from people walking past and those within this group, mostly turning my attention to the woman with whom that embarrassing social incident occurred.

"Hey, uh... sorry about that... 'bump'. I'm still... learning my way around people, again."

That was all I could say for now. And it was enough to make me blush and shuffle around awkwardly, looking for somewhere I could sit down at safely.


Last edit: 16 Mar 2024, 11:19pm
16 Mar 2024, 11:25pm
Jim looked to Haraldsen. "Big goddamn Swedish guys use axes to make a point of killing you up close and as gruesomely as possible. Same reason mobsters shoot you in the back of the head so your face gets blown off. It's about making a point through fear and intimidation.

"As for Valkyries, I work for one. Figuratively speaking, of course. I never said they were magical angels flying around scooping up people for Valhalla. I mean, yeah, WIllow is a little slip of a girl, but she's a mortician, appeared in the middle of a fight, and jammed her hand into my shoulder to keep me from bleeding out. She deals with the dead, appeared in a fight, and saved a kick-ass like me. That hits all of the requirements for a Valkyrie." Never mind that it was the Swedes with axes intent on visiting a little fear and intimidation on Willow when Jim, being Jim, jumped into the middle of a firefight. He simply shot back at whoever shot at him first. It just so happened to be the criminal element and not Willow who was firing at the time.

"I know not everyone can hear the Valkyries, and that is fine. But the do have voices. They are in the chatter of automatic guns and the growl of thrusters. You can hear them in the rising pitch of a charging EMP grenade and feel them in the concussion of HE artillery shaking the ground. You might not be able to hear them, but they still speak." At least, they speak to Jim.
17 Mar 2024, 1:06pm
The newsflash about another Thargoid Titan going down distracted me for a moment. I guess a lot of people did celebrate the downing of the enemy right now, but as far as I was concerned it wasn't entirely happy news. One of the reasons why, naturally, was because many, many brave pilots had just lost their lives in this conflict. Then there were other concerns. For example, why did the Thargoids attack in the first place? What would be their next steps? And, really, where did these Thargoid come from? So much, still unknown.

I paid no further attention to the news and was ready to order a new round of drinks when the mysterious woman approached.
"Ah... it's nothing, really. Think nothing of it. Want to sit down somewhere?" I replied to the mysterious woman apologizing for bumping into me earlier. She seemed a little tense when mentioning she had to get used to social interaction again. “It surely takes some time to get used to the presence of others if you’ve been traveling the void alone for a long time“ I nodded sympathetically.

Then I turned my head towards Jim. “Sorry Jim, I don't hear those voices you mention. But while brute force has its uses, I'm more of a fan of a surgical, and if possible surprising, approach anyway. My ship could, when piloted by someone who knows what they’re doing, steal data from all uplinks and data matrixes of a Lowell class science vessel without causing an alarm and alerting any patrols to its presence. I don’t like big clashes - in my opinion too many people die in stupid conflicts because of absurd ideas about empires and such instead for something more worthwhile, like fighting for themselves or their families. But that’s just me.“
17 Mar 2024, 2:09pm
I looked at Jim, smiling.

"Seven will be fine if you can't pronounce 'Descartes'. I'll call you 'Five'.

The blonde woman had joined in the conversation about the Valkeries in the wild mans head. Those who 'hear voices' are sometimes regarded as mad, bad or sad - unless it's 'the Voice of God'. I figured that Jim was just a harmless, rambling drunk. Nevertheless, his talk about 'Willow' held my attention.

The hooded woman was shifting her position. She looked fit and healthy but somehow heavy, if not clumsy. 'Too much time in zero-G?', I still felt that way, but a few more days of intense yoga interspersed with Pilates and I would be able leave off the compression underclothes which were beginning to feel too tight and uncomfortable.

I called for more drinks.
17 Mar 2024, 3:05pm
Haraldsen
I paid no further attention to the news and was ready to order a new round of drinks when the mysterious woman approached.
"Ah... it's nothing, really. Think nothing of it. Want to sit down somewhere?" I replied to the mysterious woman apologizing for bumping into me earlier. She seemed a little tense when mentioning she had to get used to social interaction again. “It surely takes some time to get used to the presence of others if you’ve been traveling the void alone for a long time“ I nodded sympathetically.

"I ..."

... didn't actually know exactly how to answer. It didn't quite seem right to reveal I was dealing with significant memory loss, let alone the reasons for it. Which were a little too related to Thargoids. So I looked around for a suitable chair, instead... that one had arm rests, the other looked like an uncomfortable plastic one, the third... I just moved away a little bit for the necessary 'personal space' and then sat down on it. It was still made for a person of ordinary size and shape, but it'd do, since I wasn't a 2.5 meter giant on top of those certain 'additions'. Those only prevented me from sitting in something with arm rests.. which my body could kind of compensate for if I leaned forward a little. Which I did, because that same peculiar shape made it difficult to reach the back support with my upper body.

That statement of wars and big empires caught my attention, making me speak up... somewhat hesitantly.

"That sounds... like Salvation. And what he got us into with the Titans. He was a stupid idiot."

I glanced toward those screens with the news broadcasts about the Titan soon meeting a fiery demise, all because we'd decided it was time to just fling the 'invaders' back out of our space without further bothering to figure out why they were here. And it made me shake my head. Not a 'victory'. And there would still be people stuck on it, too.

The other woman with the... strange scarf, or whatever that was, had also taken an eye to me, as though she suspected something. I'd have preferred the attention of just one person and made myself a little smaller again, leaning forward. At least I didn't need to explain my body while that holo-thingy was hiding it - the device turning off spontaneously would have made for a 'just going to leave quietly and very quickly' moment. I was not quite ready to openly display myself yet, following that one time I went into public without hiding anything other than my hands.


Last edit: 17 Mar 2024, 3:15pm
17 Mar 2024, 5:48pm
"Mercenaries," Jim said after the Thargoid report was over. "They never say this is really a mercenary war. They say that independent pilots are helping turn the tide of the war. Well, an independent pilot is a goddamn mercenary. Maybe there are some do-gooders out there helping just because they think it is right or want to help humanity without being paid, but you probably don't need all of your fingers to count them. If you are not in the military of a major power and you accept any form of compensation for attacking a Thargoid, you are a damn mercenary."

Jim downed his beer and motioned for another shot of whiskey and a beer chaser. "I should know, I am a mercenary. Nothing gets shot unless I get paid." He looked to Descartes. "Well, except if Valkyrie Willow wants something shot. I told her she did not have to pay me, but she still does."

"Hell, maybe the Thargoids are mercenaries. They often act like they have been given a Havok or Wetwork contract. Maybe some 'goid general did not want to waste his own troops and said he'd pay mercs pallets full of 'goid gold if they went into Human space and started destroying anything they came across."
17 Mar 2024, 10:15pm
I looked at the mysterious woman who just sat down and spoke about Salvation.
“His methods were wrong, to say the least... not to mention genocidal and... well... what he did was terrible. The Proteus wave backfired badly and put the Thargoids into a frenzy. Their resulting attacks were the very definition of disaster on so many levels. Like... billions dead. Gone forever. Wiped off the face of this galaxy, for his insane delusions.“ I paused briefly, then added
“Though my personal belief is that this outcome is somehow also related to his superweapon utilizing Guardian technology which maybe the Thargoids already encountered due to their history with them. But that’s just speculation on my part. I’m obsessed with Guardian history."
17 Mar 2024, 10:31pm
"And... I was there not long ago.", I answered, then clarified. "At the Guardian sites. To look into something... someone recommended for me to, because of that Nemesis thing he put himself into."

It would've been more truthful to say I didn't know for sure whether it existed, but I very much believed that it did. Even if, apparently, most just ridiculed the idea despite what Salvation had achieved with Guardian technology.

"Though I was also where the Proteus Wave fired. Still... looks the same."

And, of course, as if it was just waiting for a cue, the news broadcast switched to a live transmission of Leigong's final moments. I watched it with a mixture of distinct annoyance and disappointment, maybe a little sadness mixed in, for a few moments.

"Can someone turn that off, please? I don't want to have to see that.", I openly called into the bar, not expecting anyone to care, while barely stopping myself from adding 'again'. As usual, anything directed against the Thargoids was presented as a "great victory and achievement for humanity", and nothing else. Would we even learn anything from the war?

Sighing, I leaned forward more to fully place my elbows on the thighs, muttering "Idiots", and ran both hands over my head as I felt the Titan's destruction ripple through the hivemind, just like the explosion tearing it apart did through space. I remained in that position for a little bit, while I let the 'wave' pass.
18 Mar 2024, 7:25pm
“That Nemesis kind of technology gives me the creeps. But do I think it’s possible? Yes… most probably so, especially since I learned about the Sim-Archives of Utopia. Not sure if it’s related tech, though, and I’m no expert on that sort of thing. One could speculate that maybe Utopia used Guardian stuff too. Who knows. I mean Salvation had…. dunno, maybe two hundred years under his belt, some people say. Plenty of time to get involved in many a business, if you ask me.“ I took a long sip of my drink.

„So, if you don’t mind me asking, are you an explorer or student of guardian tech? I’d wager a bet going to all those places you mentioned indicates you usually don’t spend much time sitting in bars. Can’t blame you, these days you only hear talk about the conflict with the Thargoids anyway. I gather you rather enjoy being out there in the dark?“
18 Mar 2024, 8:00pm
I lifted my head up and sat a little straighter again, resting both hands on the respective thigh. Might as well distract myself from all that Titan nonsense.

"I like the quiet out there. No people, no war... don't like to be near people too much. But I don't research Guardians. Not... very actively. I just spent a while out there, a few days of break, two recovering the data logs. Or... the recordings which Ram Tah gives for them, anyway. Would rather have liked to look at it myself, not hear what someone else says of it."

I shuffled around, lightly adjusting my seating position.

"But I can only stay out there for a little bit. At most... a month, maybe, then I get bored."

'Or so my logs say, anyway.', I thought to myself, since I had no real active memory of those exploration trips.

"I might go away again for a little bit, for something else, not related to Thargoids or Guardians. But not sure when, yet. Just in the... next few days. Or for how long it will be."

The only thing I was certain on was that I wanted to be back again either by the very end of the month. Or the beginning of the next one. And I decided it'd maybe be a good time to give a name.

"I am Kasumi. And I usually am not very social. But I do come to places like this... sometimes."

I threw a sideways glance, annoyed, at a frozen frame of the explosion reducing Leigong to pieces of barely functional rubble.

"I also don't like what they are doing with them. No one is trying to understand, any longer, and they are just killing them in a very brutal way."
18 Mar 2024, 9:16pm
"Sorry; it's not that I have no decency. I don't know my real name, the chaotic bunch who brought me up call me Haraldsen. It's probably better than Blondie, though." I grinned broadly. "Nice to meet you, Kasumi." I said as I tapped an imaginary headdress in greeting.

"The boredom thing really is such a darned thing. I heard something about new spaceships and wanted to see what the rumours were about..... Well. I guess my return to civilisation was a bit premature. Although a few bureaucrat arseholes were already eagerly awaiting their cargo." I went on.

Then I noticed that the person opposite me was behaving restlessly and frequently changing position on the chair. "Everything all right with you? I can recommend a good drink to calm your nerves; but I also have a fast spaceship on offer if someone is on your tail... unless the logs you collected accidentally happened to be 'lost' by the Empire, in which case I might be tempted to gift you one…" I grinned.
18 Mar 2024, 9:34pm
"The only data I recovered was from the Guardian sites. I am not getting chased.", I replied, not thinking the slight shifting had made me look nervous. "Just... wanted to sit a little more comfortably."

While I was beginning to warm up to this woman a little, revealing... that, the reason why I shifted around, was definitely not on the list yet. Especially not in public, amidst a bunch of other people. Being a little nervous about it and near a few people didn't help that matter. Not to mention a far less embarrassing and much deeper secret which I hid. Or at least didn't want to share to anyone not close to me, if they weren't aware.

"And that is a curious name. But I only drink ..." I realized I'd forgotten the water I'd ordered over where I sat previously. "... water, and fruit juice. Nothing alcoholic."

I figured out I could make a good excuse around that. And my odd body form, if it was accidentally shown.

"And who called you 'Blondie'?"

I'd personally have gotten pretty upset at that if I'd had blonde hair. Luckily, it was black, even if currently obscured by my hood. Which I... really mostly wore because I just liked to.
19 Mar 2024, 9:57pm
"Seems you missed some of the earlier talk then. Blondie is from Wild Jim. I'd say my hair is more on the white, and oftentimes wild side, though." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You really think Haraldsen sounds curious?" I paused and thought about that briefly, "it's related to my youth and some viking like shenanigans on the fringes of the bubble. Let's hope the name doesn't come from the same guys who buried their axes in Jim. Who knows, sometimes even a big universe can be small like that." With that said, I signaled the bartender that there was a dry throat sitting nearby... well, relatively speaking. At least water somehow counted as liquid, too.
I was pleased with the way things were going, considering the woman who now began talking with me had been extremely quiet before. I didn’t think much about her hood, in the hellhole of the universe where I spent much of my youth, it was not unusual for people to hide parts of their face with a mask or whatever, as scars and other forms of disfigurement were not uncommon thanks to an unforgiving sun. And although my people possessed a cultural sophistication that equalled the elegance of a crashing Type-9, they still developed rules for living together and learned to respect some privacy. Somehow, and after enough of them died due to insults and other social accidents, admittedly.

„Hm. Recently I stumbled over a system not that far away that has not been previously discovered. So I explored it for a bit, and even landed on some of the planets. You know, doing that ´'it’s a small step for a woman, but big one for humankind’ thing. Had a blast. Sounds like you've seen a lot, too. I'm preparing to go to a special site that I'm thinking has interesting research potential. You’ve been to the Formidine Rift?"

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.