Elite roleplay: Citi Gateway

CITI GATEWAY

The Orbis station is a center of activity. Within the station a myriad of places can be found.
  • The Warrens: Where the poor plebs of the station live. It's is a breeding ground for the most unscrupulous. Keep an eye on your wallet when traversing the corridors of these areas.
  • Habitation Complex: For those workers and pilots that can afford it, this area provides closer to 1G gravity for more earth like living.
  • Commerce Divison: and Administration Where the larger corporations make their home. Station administration can be found here.
  • Industrial Complex: Where industry manufactures their various goods.
  • Entertainment: District Bars, theaters and night clubs, tattoo parlors and other establishments can be found vying for a commanders credits in exchange for a bit of fun.
  • Station Security: A high tech brig used to house law breakers until they can be tried, and or deported off station.
  • Medical Ward: Where commanders can get patched up, enhanced, or fix existing cybernetics.

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.
Meowers
19 Oct 2023, 12:11pm
"Uhhh..."

I shook my head slightly left to right several times, making a heavy exhale, contemplating on the matter of abduction victims.

"Hybrids or puppets or whatever or don't... I guess therapists have got a whole new lot of work. You have to be already either completely broken or desensitised... Or a full-blown psychopath, or all of these, to go through something like that and remain sane. Poor little bastards."

Trying not to sound too sad, I stopped that speech with another slice of pizza because sometimes it's better to eat than to let your thoughts out. Or even better, to eat while also watching a person in front of you eating as well.

"I'd prefer if we didn't have to deal with that entire pile of shite, you know. Being dragged into a mess that started even before your grandparents were born... Is bad for your general well-being. Not that this humanity thing was ever bad in finding something bloody bloody to occupy itself with... At least yelling and beating your fellow human neighbour with a stick have always been something natural for us as species, phah."

I spread my arms while also making a goofy grin.

"Most of those dumb arseholes can't stop even when the Thargoids is literally in the same system already. And, you're right, all that makes those moments of simple eating pleasures even more memorable. Why can't I have meat pizza MREs..."
Kasumi Goto
19 Oct 2023, 12:26pm
“You should totally patent that idea. If it’s even possible, but we’re good at finding ways to blow stuff up… so why wouldn’t there be someone to come up with pizza MREs? Might actually make the damn things taste good more than once every ten meals.”

I continued digging into my food, and spoke again only after… more than just a sip of juice.

“And hell, that whole nonsense about how we’re all too willing to start shooting each other over some completely fucking useless, frozen piece of rock in the middle of absolutely nowhere in some backwater system does make you wonder sometimes, if we don’t deserve to get a good slapping from someone. I’m not sure if the Thargoids are the right ones to do that, though. The way things might end up with them is with all of us turned into god knows what that is only recognizable as human because of general body shape. Or whoever they think is worth keeping around. And that would… well, it would solve the problem, but only in a roundabout way that isn’t so great for us.”

I took another go at my juice, finding the glass tragically empty already.

“They always make these finish too quickly.”, I murmured, waving over a waiter to order another, and some water on top, continuing with my other thought when they moved off again. “So, anyway, you can probably guess I’ve got more to say, but not in public. I don’t really want to unsettle people more than those developments will already have.”

And then, I shoved more pasta into my mouth, not wanting for it to become cold before I was done with them. They were edible in that state, but not particularly enjoyable.
Meowers
19 Oct 2023, 2:38pm
"Yep. And if we're going to get extinct... I'm not sure I'm ready to witness that. But... Yeah," I chuckled sarcastically, "Nobody's going to ask my opinion."

I took another slice of pizza and inspected it, turning it left and right in my hands, bending the corners a little trying to imagine what would it look like being a little more rectangular and packed into MRE box.

"Ah, no way they're going to do it. Too difficult for their minds. I mean, to pack pizza into MREs, even those self-heating ones. It will either end up as a somewhat seasoned meat, cheese and dough pulp, or made of rejected ingredients for real pizzas, or it will be hard enough to be classified as a blunt object that could be used as a weapon. And that's why one of the boxes in my cockpit is full of meat jerky and drink cans. There's a thing that unifies all MREs... They're meant to remind you, 'get the shit done and go back to have a better snack'. Phah."

My food consumption rate already lowered to a somewhat socially acceptable level, not so shocking for any accidental observers, and, being more than a halfway through the pizza, I felt... Better. A little more and I may even stop making acidic comments on things, for a little while.

"Yeah... Sometimes I have to admit, unironically, that humanity sucks. Even being a human myself. Like, why? There are many okay people out there, they're okay individually, but somehow the summary of individuals equals... This. Argh. Anyway... Do you have any places in mind after we're done here?"

I looked at a few remaining pizza slices in front of me indicatively. Like, they aren't going to last long anyway.
Kasumi Goto
19 Oct 2023, 2:48pm
“Pf. Nobody asked me for my opinion when I got dragged into this giant mess of a world either. Somehow, it manages to make where I come from… came from, look good. Not that I’d want to go back there.”

I put more grated cheese into the exposed pasta now that I had uncovered a layer without the ‘interesting stuff’ on it, and continued happily eating away, speaking between those moments I had them in my mouth.

“Anyway, I’m kinda hoping however this ends, it won’t be with either side wiped out. Or, you know, the surviving humans basically only half-human.”

I sighed.

“I guess that idea with the pizza MREs sounds good on paper, but isn’t really practical unless you just take one and put it above a fire or something. And looking at your sizes, bringing that would not be handy.”

The waiter returned with my juice and water, the former of which I immediately attacked.

“Okay, so, what was that whole idea you had with the VR thingy anyway? We can also talk about that… somewhere else. Your or my ship maybe, I didn’t really think about anything else to do. Just wanted to talk about that shit I saw at those Thargoid spires, instead of spending the rest of the day thinking about it.”
Meowers
19 Oct 2023, 3:42pm
"Gah. They may also stop thinking that those meals may probably last longer than the person they were handed out to. Folks aren't going to fight any better if what they have in their ten minutes long meal break looks like an edible piece of construction material. Or leftovers from testing grenades on biological targets."

Of course I sounded stingy and sarcastic, especially now, in the proper restaurant with a proper pizza instead of a flavoured brick in a cardboard package. With what was left of my pizza, to be more correct.

"Hm, maybe your ship, for a change? Argh. I guess you probably won't like to see me smoking in there. So maybe Marshmallow again. Like, if you don't want to have any ears around us, then there's nothing better than a ship. And the idea I wanted to tell you about... No disturbing or illegal in any way, yet a bit experimental."
Kasumi Goto
19 Oct 2023, 4:15pm
“I’m adaptable to your or my ship. But yes, not a particular fan of smoking. My nose is… just a bit sensitive. Always was. So yeah.”

I began to poke around for the last few bits of ham and pasta laying around in my plate, feeling more than full already, but I wanted those last few pieces anyway.

“Oh, and since I’m not sure I said it - insanity is basically part of my name at this point, so what you said fits. I lost a few too many of those normally functioning braincells with all the shit I’ve been through, or maybe they never formed to begin with. Same outcome, I suppose.”

I paused for a moment.

“Come to think of it, that might suit me as a middle name. ‘Kasumi “Insanity” Goto’!”

I held up the fork with a piece of ham and a bit of pasta that had been stabbed through to the right of my head, accompanying the gesture with a silly look. Before I remembered that this was in public, and I quickly made myself small again to avoid attention.
Meowers
19 Oct 2023, 6:14pm
"Oh. Thank you. Just let me know where those vents are in your cockpit," I nodded in gratitude, before getting to work on one of the last slices.

"And I can't be too sure about my own brain as you might guess, phah. But what's 'normal' anyway? Never been so fond of that definition. Like, what it even is? Where's the boundaries? Where's the proof of that next 'normal' person actually thinking that way, not ticking the boxes needed to pass," I waved my free hand in the air vaguely, indicating that I've no damn clear idea of that concept right now and I'm not sure it even exists.

"Screw it," That was my conclusion, followed by a big bite of pizza, which then was followed by a gulp of tea. "Why the heck should you even be 'normal' if whatever you have going on is manageable and doesn't hurt neither you nor anyone else."

I paused for a little while, also finishing the slice.

"But if it does... Argh. You better don't let the cat out of the box in public. Yeah, some people are fine, but, en masse, they are arseholes."
Kasumi Goto
19 Oct 2023, 6:28pm
“Well, I like to work alone and my weird stuff is usually… not the kind that would land you in a prison or with a restraint order if you were caught doing it, so I guess I’m ‘fine’. Whatever the definition of ‘fine’ might be, since I’ve clearly got a few gears knocked loose and willingly go to places like a Titan without getting killed.”

There was nothing really left in my plate even while Meowers was still working on her last slice of pizza. I leaned back, feeling that my belly was… almost on the edge of overfilled, but not quite. A good state to go and lie on a bed in the most lazy way, in. A pleased sigh, mixed in with a partly disguised yawn, came out of my mouth subconsciously.

“Nothing quite like some good food. And I wouldn’t want to be ‘normal’ if my life depended on it… probably. Rather be somewhat happy and myself, than deadly depressed, pretending to be yet another boring individual in a society that tries to make you feel bad for not belonging to some arbitrary standard a money-grabbing bean counter created over a thousand years ago.”

That belly of mine gave off some protesting sounds against the food filling it, and my gaze fell on the water, which might ease that. I poured some of it into a glass, but the bottle was still over half full.

“Want some? I don’t think I’ll put all of that down before we leave, and one of us is gonna pay for it anyway. And I’ll show you where the vents in my ship are… if I can remember, that is. As you know, that brain of mine doesn’t always quite have a functioning memory left.”
Meowers
20 Oct 2023, 6:18am
I nodded and poured some water into a glass in front of me, since I've just finished the tea and already began thinking I should've ordered more because there's no such a thing as having too much tea.

"Yeah...", leaning back in my seat after making a short work of the last pizza slice, I let that 'enjoying the moment' part settle in fully. "I remember, when I was a kid, I've oftenly dreamt of something massive and myself being an important part of it. Like kids usually do, you know. Now, look at me. Mid-30's, and I'm bloody sure there's nothing as good as having a good meal while also, completely, damn totally," and I raised my finger to emphasise that part, "...disconnecting from whatever huge shit is boiling around."

I chuckled ironically.

"Like, world, listen, I've done so many things already, now wait a little and let myself be myself. Phah."

Slowly, lazily, even leisurely, I stretched in my seat and stared at the empty table in front of me.

"Yep. Let's wrap that up, I guess... And - weeee! - I'm going to see your ride!", and I childishly grinned and waved my hands repeatedly in front of me.
Kasumi Goto
20 Oct 2023, 9:02am
“Don’t get too excited. It’s hardly going to be anything special, but you like things that way.”

I stood up from the chair after finishing my water and allowing Meowers to pay the bill, since I’d done so last time.

“Come on. Let’s go.”
Lambast Mercy
19 Dec 2023, 12:28pm
Previously

After her interview with CItis' head of security, it was clear that their ignorance was for sale to anyone with enough credits. Her own offer of a donation had been tactfully side-stepped as camara footage that didn't exist couldn't be offered. Indignation and calls for an inquiry into the rampant corruption would be pointless in a system recovering from Thargoid occupation. The security chief was competent enough to know standing against the underworld tide would simply get him and his inadequate staff killed, so he had chosen to go with the flow for now.

Lamb stood outside the security station reading the ground crew's report about her ship. Everything was listed and itemized, but she scrolled to the bottom of the report to find the repair time.

With a grown, Lamb read it aloud out of frustration “Two days on Citi? Oh, by her star”

She could always call one of her people to bring a ship over, one that could deal with Goid interference, but she’d still have to recover her taxi at some point. With everything going on in the galaxy right now, a night or two on this pit of a station was not a hardship. It was almost Christmas, so she paid the repair bill with a generous tip and set about finding a place to stay.
Lambast Mercy
19 Dec 2023, 10:12pm
The rented apartment would be good enough for a few days, and the smell of some real food cooking helped Lamb feel alright about being there. Sitting at the table with a fork in one hand and a number of data pads propped up around her, Lamb researched the names that were connected with Lord Goodness while he was on the station.

Although she personally didn’t care about the man, his parents had asked her if she could find out what had happened to him, as their son was working for Lambasts’ company at the time. Normally she would have sent someone else to deal with a task like this, but this close to Christmas, even someone as cold as Lambast understood the importance of family bonds. Besides, she was bound by Noblesse oblige.

As security was under the thumb of the system's criminal element, Lamb thought she should try lifting that rock to see what crawled out. Unfortunately, her direct approach to such matters would get her killed with no one reliable to watch her back, or let her know when she was being dangerously ignorant to the locals.

Chewing on a fork full of steamed vegetables and a large slice of beef, Lamb wondered if she should stay in the apartment out of harm’s way, or make some discreet inquiries in to Goodnesess’ last moments on Citi.
Silvia Sharpe
19 Dec 2023, 11:40pm
Continued from the bar

Not having anyone show up at the bar was a strange thing. Last I was there it was a busy place. It seemed as though the criminal enterprise from Vodan's company was having an effect on the station. It seems less busy with life but not so at the same time. I knew what I was about to do was risky but if it memory served me correctly I would be able to gather at least some morsel of information to point me in the right direction.

Making my way through the station I stop at a security post. The group of three raiders were exactly the crew I was looking for. One of them notices me and turns to face me.

"Oh boys look ere. We got ourselves some fresh meat." He says eyeing me up and down.

"Eh? What's 'at? Oh hello. Boss finally sending us some payment for keeping the station in check?" One of the others says.

The third man reaches out and grabs me by the wrist. I look him in the eyes and smile devilishly.

"I don't think your boss would like to hear you messed me up." I say.

The man pulls me towards him only to be met with a knee to his family jewels. He let's out a groan and collapses to the floor. I brush myself off and look at the other two.

"Tell Vodan, 'Owl Eyes' would like to speak with him."

"Who the hell is Vodan?" One of men asks and looks at the other.

The realization that I had just jabbed a hornets nest washes over me. I knew it was risky to mess with raiders but these guys were clearly not who I was looking for.

"You're not with Vengerfield's outfit?" I ask confused now more than anything.

"Vengerfield? Who the fuck is Vegerfield. I suggest you scurry on along 'Owl Eyes' wouldn't want to see you get hurt now." The other man who had remained quiet up to this point says.

Not willing to take many risks I step away from the security post. I could only hope the man I gave a knee to wouldn't call it in.

Way to go Silvia. First day back while trying to lay low, and you assault some jerkoff who got a little too handsy. I think to myself as I take a seat near by wondering where I could dig up some information.

Last edit: 20 Dec 2023, 9:35pm
Jack Remiet
03 Feb 2024, 3:33am
"Dad, I got you a wrap," Orion says breathlessly. "They're so good. Here." But Jack is focused on something else--a man doubled over, his friends chattering over him.

"Dad! I got you a wrap. You need to take the wrap so I can get back to eating my wrap." Jack takes the wrap.

"That lady," Jack says, taking a bite, "That lady--oh my this is good!" Orion smiles bashfully. "I'm sorry, that lady over there just kneed that dude in the nuts."

"No way," Orion says, looking over. "What for?"

"He got too familiar. Entitled."

"Got what was coming to him," Orion observes, continuing to devour his wrap.

"I'd say so, son," Jack replies, taking another bite. "Nonetheless," he takes another bite. "This really is an outstanding wrap, son. Is this real tahini? It tastes like real tahini. Sorry. Nonetheless, let's be prepared to intervene on her behalf should she come under fire."

Orion nods. It does taste like real tahini.

Last edit: 03 Feb 2024, 4:45am
Silvia Sharpe
04 Feb 2024, 4:09am
"A month. A whole fucking month! How is there not a single level 3 on this damnable station?! I missed Christmas and new years for this fucking shit?!"

I say as I take a seat seemingly overly aggrevated by the lack of high clearance security personnel on Citi. I pull out my data tablet and and a holo chip, placing the latter, gently on the table in front of me. A small holo image of a slender female in her early 20s, June's preferred self image, appears.

"Silvia please contain yourself. Our time on station has proven to be relatively useful. I have transferred the stations schematics to your personal data tablet."

I open up my messages and pull up the schematics. A wire frame version of the station appears on the screen.

"This station is mostly sealed off to the usual crowds but there are several locations around the place that can provide enough cover for someone to slip in to restricted areas unnoticed."

"We don't know who we are dealing with on this station. We don't know what they are capable of."

"If you want to find the missing bar tender you may have to break some rules of yours. You might need to resort to a bit of foul play. Dip into that mischievous side of yours."

June's tone is devilish. There is a hint of glee in her words almost as if she enjoyed the less desirable actions. Given she was originally the construct of an infiltration and spy master it made sense.

"I'm bored of this goodie two shoes stuff. I want to break rules! I want to bring terror..."

Her expression turns a bit demonic and her tone becomes more villainous. I look up from my data pad to see June grinning fiendishly.

"You will need at the very least a level 2 profile and I will need to get into the stations mainframe. Time for a bit of fun."

Last edit: 04 Feb 2024, 4:44am

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