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.
Haraldsen
17 Jul 2024, 12:04pm
“If there’s a cat in there, we better keep the box shut. That way, it stays in quantum superposition… otherwise, we might have trouble with the owner. But luckily, it says ‘human’ on it…” I joked back, a smirk playing on my lips.

I didn’t bother commenting on the picture. The two people in it looked pretty worn out - especially the one in the front, who had that thousand-yard stare you see in veterans. Curiosity piqued, I carefully lifted the picture and examined it more closely. There was something scribbled on the back.

'Near Gupta Industrial, Battle of Mudhrid, November 30, 3307.'

Next, I scrutinized the poster. If there was anything unusual about it, it eluded my notice. Back to the picture… The two boxes had complicated-looking locking mechanisms that seemed to require some sort of data input to open. Each box had eight locks and one central input field of indeterminate length, which only accepted numbers. I decided to try my luck with the left box, which was labeled 'human weapon platform type 4.'

Holding my breath, purely out of instinct, since my helmet and suit would protect me from any escaping gases, I took a gamble and punched in the date from the picture: 3 0 3 3 0 7.

Nothing happened.

I studied the text on the datapad one more time. The second odd phrase read, 'if it didn’t already happen by now, lean back and enjoy the show.' At first glance, it clearly referred to the planned attack on October 1, 3310. But what really caught my eye was the strange emphasis on the last two words, 'the show.' Interestingly, their length matched the numbers 3 and 4, which corresponded to the Type 3 and Type 4 boxes. Coincidence?

Anyway, if I stretched the thought a bit, I could interpret the sentence as 'if it didn’t already happen by now, lean back and enjoy 3 4.' The container labeled 'human weapon platform type 3' was the right one of the two. Instinctively, I had started with the left, as was customary in my culture, which wrote and counted from left to right. I decided to try my luck with the right container.

Carefully, I punched in the date again: 3 0 3 3 0 7.

Again, nothing happened.

"Maybe I should just try cutting the fucking boxes open with my cutter." I snorted.

Last edit: 17 Jul 2024, 12:10pm
Kasumi Goto
17 Jul 2024, 1:23pm
I'd been studying the locks myself, and the input field, during my companion's attempts to open them... which, it felt like, were probably about to result in some less-friendly cursing.

"Maybe, do not, cut them. They, probably, have failsafes."

But I did have an idea. Since there were eight locks, maybe the key would be an eight number code... but what would it be... I decided to try my luck with the box on the right - because I was right-handed - inputting '1 1 3 0 3 3 0 7', simply adding the month in front of the specific date. If that wasn't it, I would try inverting month and date, or flipping the whole thing around. And if that then didn't work, maybe it would be October 1 of this year as the code.

Last edit: 17 Jul 2024, 2:26pm
Haraldsen
17 Jul 2024, 2:50pm
I watched as my companion fiddled with the right box, the one I had just tried and failed to open, punching in the new numbers. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, one by one, all eight locks clicked open, releasing the lid. I stared at my companion, utterly baffled.

“So, it was the date after all, but with the month first.”

I glanced into the now open box. Inside were nine transparent cylinders filled with a greenish liquid. Nestled between the cylinders was a note, and a code.

Note
Engineer Lyz Rider helped our cause by developing the plan for the enzyme bomb. These are nine vials containing the hard-to-produce heart of the bomb, the Thargoid enzyme. One for each martyr. Their legacy lives on in each one of us, in our actions, in our determination, and in our unyielding belief that a better world is possible.
The Alliance and Federation’s rulers have revealed themselves as imperialist supporters of the Duval dynasty, which has crushed our ideals for a thousand years. Peoples of the galaxy – you can change this. We give you your own Nine Martyrs. Use them to retake control and regain your power.


Code
12 13 3307
Kasumi Goto
17 Jul 2024, 3:24pm
I shrugged.

"Sometimes, I, am useful. Not just, a blockage."

One with big curves. And only really because of them. I looked at the two notes.

"Well. What, are we, to do with this? This, may, be too destructive. And, I... guess, the code, is for that other, box."

I could probably handle that corrosive material myself without any protective gear, given my modifications, but my interest in making a bomb was not very high, nevermind not knowing where to apply it... or how to even make it with this stuff. I'd also been under the impression that the engineer had not willingly cooperated to make bombs for terrorists, but decided to make no remark on that, for now.

"So, what, is... in, the other box? Clearly, no cats, today."

I was a bit underwhelmed. Sure, I'd expected some kind of weapon, but with preference to more of a kind that I could wield conventionally, and just burn all of this Helix madness down with. Or blow it up. A bunch of corrosive Thargoid stuff wasn't it, even if acid technically inflicted burns of a kind.
Haraldsen
17 Jul 2024, 4:06pm
“I figure we should destroy whatever we find here along with the Helix. There are bound to be some crazies who’d follow this call otherwise. Discontent is everywhere, and making this public would be like lighting a fuse ourselves.”

I started typing the code into the input field on the other box but paused for a moment. Wasn’t this too easy? I shook my head uneasily. I was getting paranoid... The madness of the terrorist seemed contagious. I continued typing.

1 2 1 3 3 3 0 7, I entered. The day the Sacrosanct was destroyed. I remembered it well; it was all over the news back then. Many cultists of the Far God Cult died that day.

The input was accepted, and just like with the other box, all eight locks opened one by one. I peered into the now open box. It contained an NMLA flag upon which a message rested.

Message
Just like we were used and then discarded, there are others being used by powers that will stop at nothing to impose their vision of galactic order. Azimuth is like a seven-headed Hydra, and as soon as one head falls, another one grows. One thing is for sure, there’s much more behind the company than meets the eye. I don’t know exactly how long ABEL has existed, but who would’ve thought they even have their own Engineer? Look up Professor Palin, I promise you’ll be surprised.

I’ve chosen Azimuth’s base in Arque for my liberation strike, the place where this Engineer works - hoping that an attack here will awaken awareness of how active the powers that be are. I hope there will be a great outcry among all those oppressed by the superpowers, and the independent pilots. Together, you can forge a path to freedom, justice, and equality.

This is our legacy, in memory of a great cause that was betrayed, and as a signpost for those who come after us. I remember John once said: 'I no longer have a name. Nor a family. Nor a future. Each taken by the Empire. Now all I have is the dehumanizing number printed on my uniform in their torture chambers. I'm Theta Seven.' But aren’t we all just numbers to the rich and powerful? I am Theta Seven, and you are. All the downtrodden out there are. We all are Theta Seven.

If the event hasn’t happened yet when this message is read, it’s up to you to allow the attack on Azimuth or to thwart it. The path to freedom is fraught with peril, but it is a path worth treading. May the future remember us, not just for our struggle, but for our unyielding spirit to oppose the powers that be.

Cassia Verda


Last edit: 17 Jul 2024, 4:14pm
Kasumi Goto
17 Jul 2024, 4:15pm
I shook my head.

"They, caught, the wrong person, to use this. And, a flag, with a message, that... is not, a weapon. Not... traditionally, maybe."

But messages could hold a power of their own. That one... I was only feeling tempted to burn it to the ground with the rest of this weapons cache. Others might have been inclined differently.

"Also, we, are not, attacking a base, of, an engineer. For all, we know, that guy, does not, want to wipe out, Thargoids. But, research them. I think, our terrorist, is... a little, too, far ahead, of themselves, with that claim."

It seemed more like a diversion tactic for Azimuth to put an engineer into the sights of whoever would have used this, had we not found it. Meanwhile, the real lab was somewhere else. On top of that, some people had tried to murder Palin quite a few years back for his research into the Thargoids - exactly the kind of thing I would be expecting Azimuth and their Black Flight henchmen to do.
Haraldsen
17 Jul 2024, 4:32pm
"I don't know what to make of all this. It is pretty obvious that this person is completely bonkers. But there is definitely a method to the madness… some of the arguments in those messages are actually pretty solid. Maybe we should just be glad this person didn’t become a politician and reach the masses."

Now that the mystery of those two boxes was unraveled and the tension eased, I felt kind of tired… or maybe more like drained. All that running around had worn me out. I was born for the cockpit, not for running around like a headless chicken. Maybe it was also the barrage of messages that had exhausted me. I plopped down on one of the containers nearby, one that didn’t look like it was about to explode any second, and let my legs dangle.

“Well, after all that, we can probably assume we’re missing 50 tonnes. So, what’s next?”
Kasumi Goto
17 Jul 2024, 7:41pm
"Well, we, did not, check... activity logs."

I pointed at the control console of the cargo arm, but that was about the only suggestion I had.

"And, we, should... not, leave this, here. But, too much, to get rid of, at once. Unless, you want me... to bring in, something big."

Big on the conventional ship scale, anyway.
Haraldsen
17 Jul 2024, 11:17pm
With a sigh, I slid off the cargo container and made my way to the computer console that controlled the cargo arm. Retrieving the magic hacking tool from the pouch, I connected it to the console which slowly hummed to life.

With the hacking tool circumventing security protocols, lines of code started to race across the screen until I finally gained access to the bay’s activity logs. My eyes narrowed as I read the data - it turned out the last recorded docking of a ship happened quite some time ago.

“Looks like the last ship movement was recorded about the time those messages were left here,” I told Kasumi. “February 27, 3308. Quite some time ago...”

"Log says it has been a Cobra MkIV. Not the biggest ride, but depending on its configuration, it could’ve very well hauled fifty tonnes of Helix to Arque."

I frowned, pondering the implications. If that ship had delivered its cargo to ABEL Labs, and the terrorist somehow managed to deploy it, then the grand finale was still on the horizon - a disaster scheduled for October 1, 3310. The real question was whether we wanted to stop it or let the fireworks fly. After all, the attack was directed against an Azimuth facility.

I grimaced as I disconnected the hacking tool, returning it to the pouch and handing it back to Kasumi.

“My carrier is still stationed in the neighboring system. I could request the crew to dispatch a larger ship, allowing us to dispose of the Helix and other stuff into the star. Alternatively, I could ask them to handle it for us.”
Kasumi Goto
17 Jul 2024, 11:25pm
"I, say, we should, make sure. Personally. It... if, it does not, take, too long."

I glanced at the many rows of containers, then back, as I put my pouch back to its spot.

"Also, I, am not, leaving you, a choice, here. We will stop it, because Palin, is not, associated, with Azimuth. It is a researcher, not a murderer. In fact, someone, tried to kill, him, for researching Thargoids. I, believe, that idiot, was misled. By Azimuth, and, herself. I, am sure, their facility - is elsewhere. And, they are just, using him, to draw attention away. The wrong way."

If she didn't believe me, then I'd just be going off to do it on my own. But, now that I began to think, maybe it would be better if I myself didn't risk exposure to that stuff, when it was meant to be harmful toward Thargoids. Which half of me - no actual proportion ever determined - was.
Haraldsen
18 Jul 2024, 10:41am
"We could always take my Clipper if that makes you feel better. Right now, it’s rigged to haul 168 tons of cargo. So, we’re looking at about three trips, give or take."

Odd cargo was nothing unusual for this ship, considering its original gig was hijacking freighters. I hadn’t tweaked its setup since the last job, which was longer ago than my acquaintance with Kasumi. I rarely flew it anymore, but it was still packing lasers and pack-hounds, which we could also use to destroy some ejected cargo.

I took a moment to think, closing my tired eyes briefly.

"I’m in - and I reckon it’s possible we won’t find the lab we’re looking for in Arque. Cassia got the location from that Imperial agent. Remember that message in her ship’s computer, the one that said only Azimuth could place their facility so blatantly that everyone could see it, but no one would notice? The sender’s name was erased, the location encrypted, but the terrorist found the key before us…"

The more you thought about it, the crazier it all seemed. But there was one point of view from which the whole thing perhaps did make sense.

"Azimuth’s got more faces and facilities than a Hydra," I mused, "Just like that terrorist said, but not all of them are tied to crazy research. And let’s be honest, we don’t know much about ABEL, except that Hothis made it a lot more visible. It’s probably been around for ages, and it’s possible that Palin took over one of their old sites when he had to evacuate his own place because of the Thargoids. That would explain the name... And someone else might’ve wanted to exploit this circumstance to lay a false trail. Someone who’s tried to get rid of Palin before."

The whole thing was not completely absurd, but it was outright frightening in its dimensions if it turned out to be true. It would mean that someone with a lot of influence and persistence was pulling the strings in the background, someone who had willingly sacrificed the life of the Imperial agent. Under that premise, everything fit almost too perfectly – right down to the fact that the two messages on the agent’s ship computer were the only ones that weren’t deleted. Everything else was almost too perfectly clean, which we had also noticed when we examined her ship. The string-puller just couldn’t foresee that the terrorist would move the whole thing so far into the future for personal reasons.
Kasumi Goto
18 Jul 2024, 2:16pm
"Well... then, you, know... where, to start. We stop, the... 'surprise', from going off, then, try to find, the actual lab."

Which we hadn't found any actual clue to yet, but there had to be something we could use.

"Maybe, we should check, the Helix, boxes. Surely, there are, origin tags, on them. Or... something. Something, to help us further. Also ..."

I glanced at the opened crate with the corrosive enzyme bomb. Or, at least, the ingredients to it.

"What to do, with that? Too risky, to leave it. And not sure, if I want, to use it, even against, Azimuth. Oh, and I will stay here, while you, get your ship. I, do not have a seat, there, anyway."

Someone would probably want to be staying here anyhow, use the cargo arms to move the Helix into the ship more easily, as well as faster. And keep an eye out for any 'stragglers' dropping by, so they didn't run off with any of this, especially not that bomb. I started with looking at the Azimuth containers more closely, see if they came with any sort of label, digital or otherwise, telling us where they might've come from. Didn't expect it to be that simple, of course - nothing had been so far. And I kept my hands well off any of their locks, because even in an environmentally-sealed suit, did not fancy being anywhere near that stuff if one of the containment units had failed.
Haraldsen
18 Jul 2024, 3:24pm
The seat issue was indeed a problem. One that might need better attention in the future. Still, the idea of walking all the way back through the station, and alone at that, didn’t sit well with me.

“I think I’ll try my luck with a spacewalk,” I said, “The thought of trekking through this station doesn’t thrill me. I might run into a guard droid or a drone.”

Or worse, I thought to myself. Who knows what kind of experiments they’ve been running here that we have no clue about.

“As for those enzyme bomb components, can’t we just dispose of them with the Helix? And preferably both boxes at that,” I suggested, watching Kasumi’s inspection of one of the Helix containers nearby with keen interest.
Kasumi Goto
18 Jul 2024, 3:49pm
"I, guess, you could. Destroy it, with, the Helix.", I answered, briefly looking back. " If, you do not, want to use it. I, do not. Not... really."

Even against Azimuth. I preferred to just shoot them in the face, if I had to confront them directly.

My attention returned to the box I was looking at. Bent forward somewhat, which of course made for kind of a view, but I couldn't not do that just because my body 'naturally' presented itself - even if I was quite aware of that. Wearing armor, at least, only my backside made for distraction material, even if the size of the breast was not exactly concealable behind the chest piece.

"Hm... where would, you be..."

Nothing on the sides, or front, the top just had some big warning labels slapped on it. I decided to look around the back... and there was at least something there. I waved at my companion.

"Might, have something. Come, look here."

I stepped off to the side a bit to make space, and avoid hip bumping 'incidents'... while still trying to look at the label, which definitely was not just a hazard warning. Maybe, if we were lucky, it wasn't just a 'Ship here' label, for until the transport was hijacked and the cargo stolen, to be put here. I could have gotten a bit closer by going onto a knee or 'sitting' on my haunches, but neither was that simple of a movement with my oversized form, especially the latter of those two, when in zero gravity, though the suit supported some of it by emulating a 1G environment through its various micro-servos. Or whatever those things were called again that replicated the resistance where it would otherwise be absent, to simplify movement, alongside magnetic contact surfaces like the boots.
Haraldsen
19 Jul 2024, 2:55pm
"I wouldn't know what I'd need the enzyme stuff for, and I think I'd feel better if we destroyed it." I replied.

Then I hurried over, curiosity evident in my eyes, seeing that my companion pointed to a small, metallic plaque on the backside of the container she just examined. It was tarnished and worn, but the engraving was still legible. I leaned in, squinting to make out the text.

"Property of… Thor Biometrics," I read aloud. "Thor Biometrics? That doesn’t sound familiar. Could this be an older cargo container they’ve repurposed?"

With a mix of caution and curiosity, I carefully pried the plaque off to examine it further. Hidden on its backside was a tiny data chip, glinting ominously. I plucked it out and handed it to my companion.

"See if you can access the data on this chip. It might give us more information about the cargo or its route."

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