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.
Kasumi Goto
14 Aug 2024, 3:07am
“Great. Going, to leave you to that, then. I’ll prepare the rest in the meantime.”

First things first, back to the cockpit. I grabbed my railgun and put it into the bag stowed in the compartment underneath, then went over to the hangar with my Anaconda. Was the one just next door, anyway.

Paintjob looked a bit worn after a year where it had only seen basic maintenance to keep the ship functional, none of the accessories on the exterior.

But I wasn’t one to stick pointless cosmetic pieces on it, anyway, so it was just the paint that had a few signs of wear on it. Could even work in our favor, by selling the well-used trade ship look. Though I was not a hauler, so maybe I was wrong in that idea… it wouldn’t matter much anyway, I hoped.

I fired up diagnostic programs, waking the computer from its sleep of over a year. At least, it did not take long for it to get started - would take more like a decade for it to show wear simply from a lack of use and maintenance… at least. Whatever modules I got stuffed into this were more reminiscent of a random assortment of… things. A class 4 prismatic shield with no engineering, passenger cabins, cargo… no idea what I had used this for last. Didn’t matter now.

I ordered for enough cargo racks to be installed into it to fit 256 tons of cargo, a shield generator plus some boosters, a couple hull and module reinforcements… something that I would expect of that Azimuth transport. Plus a class 5 fuel scoop, because the idea that it was travelling through uninhabited space needed to be sold, too, in case I got scanned. Some standard weapons too, for rudimentary self-defense, and a basic unengineered reactor.

I left my funny bag of weapons, ammo and armor in a compartment in one of the walls, then went back outside, into the hangar, to get my Krait Phantom out - and ordered the big shipping contained into it. A size 5 cargo hold could fit that well enough, and it was the best option to go to the rescue megaship, drop off the pods, and just… get back out before anybody could have the thought of asking questions.

Also got the carrier jump into the Bubble underway, making sure the busy bees in hangar 8 were aware that it was scheduled.
Meowers
14 Aug 2024, 3:58am
Medical team of the Abode arrived soon after Kasumi left the hangar, and I signalled them to get closer to the ship, waving my hand from the loading ramp.

"I'll be extracting the pods from the cargo racks and pushing them down the ramp. Set up shop here, this ship isn't going anywhere soon. Expect two hundred pods, maybe a bit less."

Was glad to see that the team arrived properly prepared: almost twenty nurses and paramedics, led by a doctor, with medical kits and even several remotely-controlled portable zero-G stretchers. With loud metallic clanking their kits attached to the floor, and soon I pushed the first escape pod out of the cargo hold. Thankfully, it was weightless, and everything around me was weightless too, so the only thing I had to care about is not throwing them out of the ship too hard. This particular pod was good to go and set to opening procedure already.

"I'll set green pods to open right away, stack them on the left side and help those folks wake up. Everything that isn't green goes right, may need your attention before opening."

I went through at least ten 'good' pods before encountering one with its parameters a little off the optimal range.

"Look what's wrong with this one," I pushed the pod a bit to the right, while throwing a quick glance over the forming line of already opened pods. First people were sitting or even trying to leave the pods. "Come on, touch that thermostat, set the atmo to something warmer. And throw the empty pods further to the doors, we will need them later."

Pod after pod after pod, I went deeper into the cargo compartment, and one, and soon two paramedics entered the ship too, to form the chain.

"That's the last one... Dammit, she's just 16," I commented on the last escape pod in the cargo bay and, after pushing it outside, left the ship along with the paramedics who assisted me. Once the pod reached the first 'staging ground' where it should stay until the person inside wakes up enough to walk, I was, finally, able to slow down and look at the pod-unpacking process as a whole. The doctor and paramedics surrounded the dozen of unlucky pods with non-optimal containment parameters or simply injured people inside, while nurses helped the awakened survivors with leaving the pods. Even some techs and maintenance workers showed up, carrying blankets.

I walked to the doctor and, as always for the lack of better option, sat on the floor. Or more like 'descended', in zero gravity, keeping the tips of my magboots barely attached to it.

"Thank you. We should take them to the proper rescue service later, but, I'm afraid, this might happen only in a couple of days. Yet sleeping in the corridors and on couches beats... this," a nod towards the pods was quite self-explanatory. "And, I think, that's all I can do here. Military first aid training, nothing more."

Quietly, I walked away to enjoy another cigarette and wrote a message to Kasumi over our private line:

"Almost done here. Last people are leaving the pods. Empty pods are stacked near the hangar entrance, you may command to put surprises inside already. And I think I should go back to my cockpit."

Last edit: 14 Aug 2024, 7:40pm
Kasumi Goto
14 Aug 2024, 4:41am
Ok. Sure. Just waiting for the big box to be transferred so I can move it off my ship... carrier. Should we keep it around to keep Azimuth thinking we're their transport, or fill it with more explosives?

Or maybe it would be too risky if they decide to look inside it. But it is shielded, so a scan would not show. I also don't think you said anything to my idea of putting you into that big box.

Will also get the other, empty pods filled with our 'welcome gift'. It would be rude to show up without one, even if it's only supposed to be a distraction.

I sent that message off and gave those orders for the empty escape pods - fill with mining charges, and then move them to the Anaconda... carefully. The carrier would commit to its jump soon, after the people rescued from the clutches of Azimuth - those that weren't still sleeping in a life supporting machine of Thargoid origin - were settled in somewhere slightly better than a hangar bay. By then, I would have the shipping container in the Phantom, and I'd be very happy to hand it, or at least its contents, to someone both more responsible and qualified. Though it wasn't hard to be more qualified than the people who would literally just cut them open, to determine if the occupants had been altered in any way. And then run some other twisted 'research' on them.

Still thought about that matter with the Thargoids and how to bring it over that - apparently - there was some bunch amidst their hivemind that was not sniggering at the thought of humans, or inclined to just open fire without warning. And that they were inclined to support our little adventure into Azimuth Super Happy Fun Land. If you were a mad scientist with as many morals as a dictator in the 20th or 21st century of humanity. But I wasn't exactly sure how far I could trust them either, as most human-Thargoid exchanges had been done with gun shots, or simply avoiding each other.

Maybe I'd just... have to figure it out later, when that matter of those Titan life pods was off my mind. At least, the fact that they were on my ship. I'd already had low expectations - or high expectations of terrific - for that Azimuth facility, but the find only made it worse, and it was hard not to think of what we would be finding. And whatever those asshats were possibly doing to that one friend of mine.
Meowers
14 Aug 2024, 10:35am
Kasumi's reply reached me when I was about to leave the hangar turned into a makeshift rescue zone, gladly admitting that everything went more or less okay: even some people rescued from the 'non-optimal' pods were waking up already and undergoing medical checks. And I played my part, without being medically qualified for anything more serious than first aid; at least I was there to yell loudly enough and push the pods out of the cargo bay quickly enough to make all that happen.

Speaking of pushing and other physical activities... That lingering, vague and distant sensation, which oddly resembled a mix of fatigue and hunger, yet without actually wanting to eat or relax, appeared in my background recently, and, I knew that it could've been only one thing. No surprise though, the amount of physical activity during the last less than a day has been fairly decent, from pushing rowdy protesters into the transport, to handling almost two hundred escape pods which, whilst weightless on the carrier in deep space, still had their mass. And... It was quite a sizable amount of mass in total. So the half-sized charging plate, integrated into my armour kit, couldn't really keep up.

Finally, emerging from my thoughts, I remembered that Kasumi's message still waited for my reply.

"That's a dilemma honestly. Having that big box with us, we could pack more boom-boom stuff. Yet explaining its sudden absence might be easier than trying to convince them that it was the Azimuth logistics branch that replaced Titan pods with bombs. It would be nice to have a few empty Titan pods, we could use them the same way, but I doubt you have any at your disposal. Will give it more thinking once I get back to Marshmallow."

...
Once in the cockpit, I put my helmet aside, leant back in the pilot seat and ran my hand back through my hair, removing loose strands off my face. A moment to let my thoughts slow down for a little while and bask in the soothing warmth, spreading from my back through the entire body. Whoever designed that charging thing, definitely knew what comfort is, and how to make an otherwise utilitarian procedure purely, humanly, pleasant. I took a can of warm tea from the supply box for a nice addition to that feeling, and allowed myself to close my eyes half-shut, while there was nothing in particular to look at. This little pause might be brief and I wanted to take the most out of it.

Last edit: 14 Aug 2024, 10:49am
Kasumi Goto
14 Aug 2024, 1:21pm
Of course I don’t have any “free Titan pods” laying around. Honestly, not sure where you’d get that idea. Those things are just left with Aegis and… well, I don’t know what they do with them once they open them up. Or if they’d even still be usable after that.

So I don’t think it is an option. Might need to come up with something else, or just get rid of the box. We could pretend they wanted to keep the stuff in T Tauri after getting attacked, risk of discovery or… something.

I didn’t really have any good - or other - ideas circling through my mind about it, likely due to the matter of those pods with abducted on it, so sent off that message as it was… and continued to lean back into the seat. Carrier would be jumping soon, it seemed like, indicating the operation with the escape pods had gone quickly, even with there being over a hundred of them.

Maybe then I could focus on the task at hand, again, after getting rid of an unnecessary - and very unpleasant - distraction.
Meowers
14 Aug 2024, 1:57pm
...the bleeping sound of my communicator pulled me out of the comfort zone of being slow and lazy, and I extracted the device out of my pocket. Daily AXDF update message pack. Reports, requests, intel briefs and other textual strategy game stuff that normally has been copied to me in order to let me know what's happening. These days, when those who survived the initial horrors of the war, adapted well and gained necessary skills and knowledge to withstand the alien attacks and push them back, reports weren't nearly as grim and harrowing. Only a few months ago it felt like the entire Universe plainly hates us. Now, methodically, system by system, sector by sector, we were gaining our little piece of the Galaxy back, after the shocking first year or so. Or even two years. My eyes skimmed over the reports, a smile briefly appeared on my face once I read the casualties section, which stated that none of our pilots died during the last day, only a couple of wounded, and I thought about switching the screen off and putting the comm back into the pocket, when another notification caught my eye. Kasumi's and mine private channel.

"Sorry for the delayed reply. Have been relaxing. A few minutes to be a human, after I've had the chance to be a bulldozer, and then a cargo handling truck.

So, my opinion is, as follows: throw the fucking box away. Tell them it was damaged during the combat and you had a contamination risk. A hundred standard pods stuffed with mining charges should be more than enough already."
Kasumi Goto
14 Aug 2024, 2:41pm
Yeah… I guess, it would be. But it might sound more convincing that Azimuth decided to keep it at their station in the nebula if it was damaged, too. They would probably be in contact with it… or were, until they got blown up, anyway.

Anyway, this reminds me, I should probably get those construction material containers over to my ship, too… and empty one. However you are going to stuff yourself into it.

‘Ship’ in this case of course being the Anaconda. And it at least stuck around in my head that I hadn’t gotten those containers sent over yet, my memory not exactly cooperating on the subject… even without the brain damage making it wirse. If I’d committed the transfer already, then it would just momentarily confuse the crew. And if I hadn’t… then it would be getting done now. Hopefully, to be ready once I was finished with my ‘business’ involving the misplaced Titan pods.

Still nobody knew what, if anything, had been done to the people in those pods, but as far as I was concerned, that did not matter, in this context especially. Almost anything was better than being an Azimuth lab rat, especially if it meant spending some time under medical observation from Aegis. Not that I was particularly favorable toward the continued isolation from the Federation and Empire toward their people that were abducted, even if some caution was probably warranted.
Meowers
14 Aug 2024, 7:56pm
"Sure. I will be in my cockpit, waiting for your signal. Tell me where to go once the spicy transport is ready, and I'll show up there soon."

Sending the message, I put the comm back into the pocket and, whilst Marshmallow was still in standby mode, not powered off completely, switched the music system on, to play something smooth and melodic from my old personal collection. Some of those tracks, I saved up to fifteen years ago, and they travelled with me all that time, through so many challenges I can't even start to count. I adjusted the seat to make it almost horizontal and leant back, to freely float weightless just above it, and closed my eyes.
Kasumi Goto
14 Aug 2024, 9:47pm
A little later ...

As soon as the carrier completed its jump, into the closest system with a rescue megaship, I took off to deliver that container with the Titan pods. Descended into the hangar immediately after docking, after giving the order to offload it to the computer system, of course with a mention that it contained those so-called "bio-storage capsules"... a naming I was still not exactly too fond of, because they weren't just "storage" for something inert or not alive. So that no surprise awaited whoever came across that cargo container.

Having connected anonymously, I hoped to avoid scrutiny about the origin of that container, or why I was in the possession of its cargo, because... it just wasn't a bother I had the time, nor the mental energy for, at all. I also had the shipping container itself removed from the ship, leaving it with a note for security teams to take a closer look at its manifest, which perhaps named Azimuth directly, in an act of carelessness, not expecting the transport to be caught. If it didn't... I would tell them myself when the inevitable question of what I was doing arose. And I would have a damn good answer for it - once I was done.

But for now, I had more pressing matters to attend to. And, with the offloading of those pods complete, I went straight back to the carrier, set up for a course to another unremarkable, uninhabited system near the one we intended to visit, then headed to the hangar assigned to my Anaconda. Preparation work on it was liable to be done soon, and as I arrived in the bay, directly opposite of my Corvette's, only a few cargo containers were still left on the pad, waiting to be loaded in. The ship's identifier painted on the hull was now the same one as that of the destroyed Azimuth Anaconda, and EDI probably had created a fake digital profile to match it, too.

The "escape pods" apparently were also prepared and on their way... I did go into the cargo hold to double check one thing, about the construction material containers. Because I had asked for one to be emptied... and that was, in fact, the case, upon opening its lid. I wanted to refer to it as the "Meowers Container", in my head, because of a weird, silly nickname that that woman apparently had, and she was going to be stuffed into it. The weariness made it be less funny than it would otherwise have been, to me, though.

I sat down on the cargo bay floor, using the container to keep myself grounded, and - kind of - folded both legs close to the body, as much as the excessive thigh size allowed for that pose... even the 'Big Ball' was easier to form than that, but it was not the right time or place for it. That was more of a 'I'm comfy and lazy' pose, unlike this one. Both probably made for a sight, regardless... I began typing up another message.

Almost ready to go. Construction material containers are in, with one of them empty, all for you to shove into. Not that I am sure how you will fit inside it.

The 'surprise' is ready too, just waiting for the escape pods to get loaded up. Guess I should probably put on my armor and stuff already, want to get out as soon as we're near the place.

Come over when you are ready. Hoping the loading will be nearly done by the time you get here... hangar directly opposite of my Corvette. Shouldn't be able to miss it... going to be waiting in the cargo hold.

I sent it off and quickly wandered off into the cockpit to fit my armor, except for the helmet, which I would only need later. It was still the same as my old set, except the necessary adaptations to the pistol holder on the right thigh, and of course the significantly more rounded chest piece, which... was also a bit of a pain to get on, between that shifty upper half trying to move it away in zero G, and needing to connect the front and back halves together while a certain big something blocked the path of one arm, no matter how I tried.

At least the most painful part of getting into the suit was already out of the way, knowing that it was always a struggle to get it over that really big breast. As was to be expected when I had one of that size, while I still insisted on wearing clothes and other things which fit properly to my overall form, instead of fitting for the chest but looking like I wore a bag for anything below that. Except the hips. Those things were in a league of their own, and I totally loved them for that.

I returned to the cargo bay once I was through my struggles, and resumed the seated pose I'd found myself earlier, using that same empty container as support to make it look as if I was sitting. Did miss the sensation of that big, soft lower half shifting under gravity, again, already, while I waited for Ina to get here.
Meowers
15 Aug 2024, 2:00am
Eventually, I had to get up and go doing stuff. Being slow and lazy is awesome even if you have a full armour set on you, but, for some reason, Azimuth still refused to kill itself and save us the trouble. Or, what's more likely, there always should be a villain, and old Kumo gangs were too simple and lacked imagination, compared to all sorts of heinous shite which Azimuth relentlessly pumped out.

I put the helmet back on my head, leaving the visor raised for the walk, topped up the slightly used magazine in the rifle and locked all the belts with fun things back on myself. Two pistol mags should be enough since I had another interesting idea for backup or going really up close. How the heck am I going to fit into a cargo container?.. Uh. It seemed like I should. Might not be the super comfortable ride of a lifetime yet I decided that overthinking won't get me anywhere. Then, a quick glance on the self-diags overlay. Phah, still called it a cheat mode and tried to listen to my bodily signals instead, in the old-school way, but yeah, precautions. Everything's green across the board, main energy is way over ninety, almost at the top. Good.

It wasn't a really long walk across the entire deck thankfully, and I reached the hangar with Kasumi's old Anaconda. Had me thinking for a moment that I might've been one of the rare cases, or headcases, who, despite having a fully legal PilotFed licence and almost unlimited right to buy, own and fly any spaceships, found keeping just one the most comfortable option.

The Anaconda sat on the large landing pad, undergoing final preparations. Standard cargo containers seemed to be all loaded already, and some spicy escape pods, in which 'escape' meant 'Azimuth escapes reality by blowing up to shreds', were still placed nearby, next to the cargo loading ramp, and a few carrier workers around did... Whatever they needed to do to ensure the ship is good to go after seemingly several months of being mothballed in the hangar. Kasumi told me she's in the cargo bay already so, wasting no time, I walked straight up there, leaving one of the workers who raised his eyes from his datapad to look at me, staring surprisedly.

"Don't mind me, I'm the cargo," I dropped jokingly on my way to the loading ramp and entered the ship.

Obviously, I spotted her right away, in her midnight black armour in a fairly lit cargo bay, and waved my hand slightly.

"Weeee! Here I am."
Kasumi Goto
15 Aug 2024, 2:40am
"And, this ..."

I stood up, making the magnetic boots contact the surface fully again, while gesturing toward the container.

"... is your... ride, I, guess." I couldn't help but shake my head at the idea. "Thinking of it, that seems like a... amusingly stupid, idea."

A sound that indicated it certainly amused me came out of my mouth, though I held in the laughter.

"Pff. So, anyway, you don't have to climb in there, yet. Carrier should be jumping out to wherever it is in a few minutes, once those last few pods are in." I glanced at the ongoing loading process. "But yeah, no point in that unless you want to give it a... 'test run', before actually committing."

I blinked a few times, still trying to not just start giggling like an idiot, while giving her a funny look. Then, after a breath, spoke again.

"So, yeah, just... a little longer. Can go to the cockpit - or, I guess, it's big enough to call it 'bridge'... but quieter, there. If there's anything left to talk about. Also got my seat in there, now... pf. Cannot imagine what the crew are thinking, between... me, with all this." I placed the right hand on the hip, while using the left to go from top to bottom of the body. "And then you, with, well ..."

Looking up was enough to make it clear what I meant. They were... sort of... used to me, now, but a 2.5 meter giant just casually strolling in was something else. At least, the carrier hallways were quite tall, and wide, with exception of some doorways and the elevators, so our unique 'sizes' didn't pose much of a problem in it.
Meowers
15 Aug 2024, 3:02am
"Eh...", I looked at her with my eyes narrowed, and then at the container. Carefully descending down in zero gravity, getting almost on my knees to have a better look at the metal tube-like box prepared for me, I emitted that unsure and uncertain sound again, looked inside, and then at Kasumi again.

"I mean... I should, perhaps. It's deep enough and almost as wide as, well, I am... So maybe if I put the rifle under myself, and really compress my shoulders like I'm some kind of shy lady at a swimming pool party... Uh. I guess it should work. What's really more interesting there is..."

I stood up and made a wide encircling gesture, and then continued in an ironically cold and serious tone.

"...the fucking explosives all around me."

My lips stretched in a stupid smile more suitable for a person with a deep and incurable intellectual deficit for a little while.

"But the cockpit has no extra seat for me I guess. So, if we're going to take off in a few minutes, I think I'd rather start trying."
Kasumi Goto
15 Aug 2024, 3:12am
"Uh ..." I scratched my head. "I, guess, go ahead and try, then. But I meant more like, just sitting over there while the carrier jumps and then do, the... thing. Whatever."

I shrugged. I expected that this 'testing' would at least take until the pods were done getting loaded... and also be a bit of a show to watch. So I took a few steps back in order to observe, which I would be doing rather keenly.
Meowers
15 Aug 2024, 3:54am
"Ah, craps," I stated, rolling my eyes. "Here we go."

Performing that in zero gravity didn't help much because I had to do it horizontally. First, I removed the rifle off my back and let it float in the air next to the container: no way I'm going to fit in with that thing at the same time. Kasumi stood nearby, and, as much as she wasn't short at all, with the buttstock almost touching the floor, the muzzle brake tip was little over her eyes level. Then, I switched the magboots off manually since if they stick to the 'bottom' of that container, I probably won't be getting anywhere without external help and I doubt Azimuth employees are helpful.

Grabbing a piece of metal framework of the cargo rack, I carefully lifted myself above the floor and took hold of the opened lid of the container. Holding it in place and using the cargo rack frame as a pivot, trying my best not to move the container lid but to move myself, I guided my feet and calves inside, in what looked like a very odd and unhealthy version of going through an acrobatic hoop feet first. In zero gravity. With a cargo container for an acrobatic hoop. In heavy armour instead of stretchy bodysuit. And with explosives packed right next to me.

Of course I got stuck at the thighs eventually. Being decorated in extra batteries and rifle magazines like a weird Christmas tree, in that version of Christmas which required human sacrifices, wasn't making my job any easier. So, at that point, I had to grab the edges of the container and push myself further down the steel tube, emitting enough metal creaking and scratching sounds to drive an entire therapy group of sound-sensitive people mad. Somewhere around that time, even if there are really no 'up' and 'down' without any gravity, I decided to roll and go face down, producing even more of those awful noises.

Being almost shoulder level in the container, I realised that I can't now really stretch my arms out without ruining the progress, my elbows were firmly locked underneath me and there were only two options available: slowly tilting and wiggling the entire body to move a bit, or holding onto the edges and pulling forcefully. At least my legs had some room and I could help myself with my knees, since those small magnetic additions on knee and elbow pads worked just as they should: sticking a little, normally for laying prone in zero G, but not that strong to really hold me in place.

So, I couldn't stretch my arms out. And the rifle was floating in the air next to the container. I observed it, at least the part of it that was visible from my position, in a few moments of silent contemplation.

"Uh...", I began in a shy and unsure tone. "Could you please... Hand me my magic wand?"

Pressing my knees and elbows hard against the container walls, I freed some space underneath me, hopefully enough for the rifle to be shoved into there.

Last edit: 15 Aug 2024, 6:00am
Kasumi Goto
15 Aug 2024, 4:07am
I rolled my eyes after already witnessing a practically theatrical display of “How to shove a 2.5 meter idiot into a cargo container”, and just grabbed the rifle by its barrel, presenting it by the stock, without saying a word. Then I backed off after there was no risk of it floating off again, contemplating this ridiculous picture in front of me, like I was looking at a child trying to squeeze into something it was not supposed to go into. And facepalmed, with a headshake.

“This is so stupid.”, I remarked, putting both hands on the hips. “I guess you’re not getting back out of there… and aren’t you overcompensating with that weapon a little?”

The size of it in particular was just completely excessive. I failed to see a world where anyone actually needed a handheld weapon that was as long as the average human was tall, even if the wielder was abnormally big. Even in this universe and human society, that was just complete overkill.

Last edit: 15 Aug 2024, 4:24am

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