The Peacemakers - Alternity, Star*Drive Campaign

Let's begin!

Gabriel Dane:

[SBLOCK]Administrator Jocelyn Kara, of the Galactic Concord, had requested a mindwalker of the Da'Shan Order to fulfill a special mission. The Order granted this request, and sent Gabriel Dane. After receiving a few weeks of Concord Indoctination Training, he meets with Administrator Kara to discuss the mission.

Administrator Kara is an impressively tall woman with long dark hair and Borealan features. She wears elaborate and formal robes and carries the tri-staff of her office. She greets you warmly and bids to to be seated while she explains her vision.

"The Mission of the Concord is one of Peace. And it is this inspiration which has quelled the forces of war and brought humanity up from the depths of its darkest nature. This Vision is inspirational, and I believe that any who are set to its fulfillment will come to achieve their grand potential."

"This project is the proof of my beliefs. We have gathered together a crew, drawn from many walks of life, across many of the nations of our great Concord. They are troubled souls. Each has a past that has led them astray from the Great Ideal on which our Concord was founded. I believe that by bringing them together and setting them explicitly on this Great Mission, that the power of the Ideal itself will draw them to fulfill it."

"To ensure that they are guided down this path, I am requesting that you join their crew. Your job will be to monitor their mental states, to ensure that they are being drawn towards a more peaceful path in their lives. You will be assisted by the ship's Artificial Intelligence, which has been programmed as an emotive counsellor for the crew, and has been imprinted with the Ideals of the Mission of the Galactic Concord. The computer will assist you, and your psychic evaluations of the crew will assist her in maintaining a record of the mental improvement of the crew as they grow to fulfill their mission."

"I shall make available to you psychological profiles of the crew, which will be stored in CECCE - your ship's computer."

"Do you have any questions?"[/SBLOCK]

Vanguard Curran:

[SBLOCK]
You can still remember your father's words when you received notification of your "graduation" from the officer's academy.

"Congratulations, son! You have your first command. Sure, it's not much to look at, and you wouldn't believe the strings I had to pull to get you here, but now you have a chance to finally prove your worth. You can prove that you're worthy of the Curran name. I never doubted that this day would come, because you're MY son! And no son of mine was ever raised for anything less than his own command. Sure, you might not have any experience, and this crew may be a bunch of losers drawn from the dregs of the galaxy, but I know you'll whip them into shape. And if the Administrator has anything to say about it (and she does), you'll learn to command and make a good showing of yourself. So you do me proud, son! And listen to the Administrator. She's a powerful ally in the Concord. She may sound hare-brained with her blather of 'Peace' and 'Harmony' and whatnot, but she'll be behind you so long as you maintain your command on her pet project here. And make no mistake, both she and I will be displeased if you fail in her mission. But of course I know you won't do that!"

Administrator Jocelyn Kara, of the Galactic Concord, personally signed off on your commission to Star Command. You know you don't deserve it, but you're willing to go along with it as far as it goes. Who knows? Maybe you'll find some success and your father will finally be pleased with his 'runt' of a son.

Administrator Kara is an impressively tall woman with long dark hair and Borealan features. She wears elaborate and formal robes and carries the tri-staff of her office. She greets you warmly and bids to to be seated while she explains her vision.

"Welcome, Captain Curran. Please, don't flinch at the title. You may not feel as though you've earned it, but please believe me when I say that you are precisely the man I am looking for. You were selected for this command precisely due to your lack of real command experience. I believe that people can and do rise to the opportunities presented to them when they are given the trust and autonomy they need to get the job done. This is your command, and I know that you will fulfill your mission."

"This ship embodies the principles of the Galactic Concord. As we are drawn from citizens from all walks of humanity, so too is the crew of the Pacific drawn from many nations and backgrounds. They may seem disreputable, but that is the very reason they were selected. They have had their problems in the past, but the Grand Mission to which they have been assigned is one of transformative power. I believe that, when people are given positions of trust, they can and will rise to meet the demands of the ideals to which they have been entrusted. This ship, then, is the expression of the Hope represented by the Ideals of our grand Concord. I know you will not fail me, because the Mission itself will draw from you the dignity required to fulfill it."

"Complete files will be made available to you on each member of your crew. They are yours to command, and I have no doubt that you will serve them, me, and the Concord with distinction and honor. Your first orders are to go to the CSS Pacific and assume command, and prepare her for her extended mission."

"Good luck, and may the Peace of the Concord guide you."[/SBLOCK]

Dra'Ked KX-59230

[SBLOCK]
You have been selected to serve the Corporation on a sensitive mission. You were summoned to the office of Chief Financial Officer QX-54665, a man named Quentin Sikes. As you entered and awaited his attention, he rose to greet you. He is a middle-aged human with a hawkish apperance, a pronounced nose, short hair and a slight sneer when he tries to smile.

"Greetings, KX-59230. You have been selected to serve the Company in a mission of great importance. The Galactic Concord has requested a seshayan soldier to serve as executive officer on board the CSS Pacific, a small scout cruiser on an extended mission. We have selected you to fulfill this request. You will receive a commission in the Concord Star Force and carry out their orders, and you will report directly to me on any and all details of your tenure there. Remember that you are always an employee of VoidCorp. The Concord does not respect our ways, and does not understand the contract between VoidCorp and her employees. The Company has given everything to you, and you owe the Company everything. VoidCorp will not forget you, so take care that you do not forget VoidCorp."

With that, you were given details on the assignment, and traveled to Concord space. There you underwent extensive Concord Indoctrination training, and began to see the vast gulf of difference between the human society you had been raised in, and the one that had been created at the end of the second Galactic War. Eventually, you completed your indoctrination, and took the oaths of citizenship in the Galactic Concord, renouncing any allegiance to your former nation, and promising to uphold and defend the constitution and mission of the Concord.

Shortly thereafter, you received an honorary commission in the Concord's Star Force, and came to meet your benefactor, Administrator Jocelyn Kara.

Administrator Kara is an impressively tall woman with long dark hair and Borealan features. She wears elaborate and formal robes and carries the tri-staff of her office. She greets you warmly and bids to to be seated while she explains her vision.

The human female greets you in what you've come to understand is something that humans consider to be a warm and friendly manner.

"Welcome, citizen Dracked." Her human voice, like most humans, mis-pronounces your name, but you've long been used to that. "You have completed the indoctrination ceremony and become a member of the Concord. You are no longer a slave to your corporate state. Here you are free, and your service to the Concord is freely given and appreciated. The mission of this ship is one of freedom and peace. This great mission requires great sacrifice of all aboard, and I am confident that you and your crew will rise to meet the challenge of this mission. The Great Ideal of peace is one which all species can aspire to. In your home nation, your species are limited by the prejudice of others, but here in the Concord, we believe that you will rise to meet the challenges presented to you. That is why I have asked you to be the second in command of this starship. I know that your people are not incapable of this responsibility, and I believe that, despite your lack of experience, you will find within yourself the capability to lead this crew to success in its peaceful mission."

"Your orders are to go to the CSS Pacific and assume the role of Executive Officer. You will report to Captain Vanguard Curran, and you are to assist him in running his vessel and carrying out his mission orders."

"Before you begin your assignment, do you have any questions?"[/SBLOCK]

Lucas Tyler

[SBLOCK]
You've been signed up for a five-year stint in the Concord's Star Force. You didn't expect much. Most recruits are volunteers who spend years of training, trying to crawl up the military ladder to achieve the privilege of serving on one of these vessels. You've been conscripted to avoid serving hard time for a white-collar crime. So you expected to be cleaning latrines or running cable through the bowels of some capital ship, the lowest grunt on the totem pole.

So when you opened your orders, you thought there must have been some mistake. Chief Engineer on the CSS Pacific? An officer commission? What the frack?! But the MPs took you to the ship, issued you your gear, handed you over to the commanding officer, and left without a word. Since then, you've had the run of the ship, and more than enough work to keep your mind on the task at hand.

The Pacific is an older Geneva Trailblazer that saw service in the war. It's been out of commission for a long time, but it is now undergoing an overhaul. You've been working with the dock crew to put together the engines and install the ship's new computer.

The computer is impressive, and you suspect that this is why you were assigned here. Its an experimental AI, dubbed CECCE (pronounced "See-See"), which is an acronym for Communications, Emotive Counseling & Conflict Engagement. It has a lovely female voice and personality, but seems a bit... unpredictable at times.

The ship is almost complete, and your engineer's mate has just been assigned to the crew. She is a Rigunmor woman named Jak Friday. She is a small, compact woman with a half-caucasion, half-asian appearance. She's a good grease-monkey, dresses only in an engineer's jumpsuit and has a cybernetic left arm. She's pretty quiet most of the time, but helpful and easy to work with.

The officer in command is Lt.(jg) Thomas Caine, an Orlamist who has been assigned to the ship as navigator. He's spent most of his time working with CECCE to install the navigation programs, but occasionally stops in to look at the engines and see how things are going.

The rest of the crew arrives today, and with the Captain's arrival, the ship is expected to fly its maiden voyage in a day or two.

OOC: Are there any preparations you want to make, or questions that you have, before the Captain arrives and we begin?[/SBLOCK]

Liriani

[SBLOCK]
I am waiting for a more complete background from you before beginning, but basically Administrator Kara is going to invite you to join the crew of the CSS Pacific to serve its mission of peaceful outreach to the colonies that it visits.[/SBLOCK]

Gabriel Dane - Mindwalker Espion/Telepath (Mind Knight)

Ozmar said:

Gabriel Dane:

[SBLOCK]Administrator Jocelyn Kara, of the Galactic Concord, had requested a mindwalker of the Da'Shan Order to fulfill a special mission. The Order granted this request, and sent Gabriel Dane. After receiving a few weeks of Concord Indoctination Training, he meets with Administrator Kara to discuss the mission.

Administrator Kara is an impressively tall woman with long dark hair and Borealan features. She wears elaborate and formal robes and carries the tri-staff of her office. She greets you warmly and bids to to be seated while she explains her vision.

"The Mission of the Concord is one of Peace. And it is this inspiration which has quelled the forces of war and brought humanity up from the depths of its darkest nature. This Vision is inspirational, and I believe that any who are set to its fulfillment will come to achieve their grand potential."

"This project is the proof of my beliefs. We have gathered together a crew, drawn from many walks of life, across many of the nations of our great Concord. They are troubled souls. Each has a past that has led them astray from the Great Ideal on which our Concord was founded. I believe that by bringing them together and setting them explicitly on this Great Mission, that the power of the Ideal itself will draw them to fulfill it."

"To ensure that they are guided down this path, I am requesting that you join their crew. Your job will be to monitor their mental states, to ensure that they are being drawn towards a more peaceful path in their lives. You will be assisted by the ship's Artificial Intelligence, which has been programmed as an emotive counsellor for the crew, and has been imprinted with the Ideals of the Mission of the Galactic Concord. The computer will assist you, and your psychic evaluations of the crew will assist her in maintaining a record of the mental improvement of the crew as they grow to fulfill their mission."

"I shall make available to you psychological profiles of the crew, which will be stored in CECCE - your ship's computer."

"Do you have any questions?"[/SBLOCK]

Click to expand...

Administrator Kara[SBLOCK]
Taking a moment to compose himself before he begins Gabriel lets his eyes linger across the Administrator' visage. "If I am correct in my understanding you would like me to use my talents, with the assistance of the Artificial Intelligence, to monitor the crews emotional and mental states. And in addition to help direct their energies into endeavors that are more in line with the goals of the Concord. Would that be the correct understanding?"

Taking a moment he begins his next thought before she can speak. "I shall do what I can. But I must admit I am somewhat uncomfortable with using my abilities against someones will outside of combat."[/SBLOCK]

Lucas

[sblock]

Safe in the life support room, with the door closed and pleasantly cool water recycling tubes to either side, Lucas lays down in his hammock and jacked into the Pacific's grid, such as it was. Settling in, he closed his eyes and began skimming his orders for the thousandth time while his free hand unzipped his bodysuit a few inches so he could enjoy the cooler air around the tubes.

Report to CSS Pacific... Assist and supervise the installation of AI... Serve as chief engineer.. As prison sentences went, he could imagine worse. He really expected some kind of high-pressure space camp designed for maximum coercive indoctrination. But they could get that in space too, and Lucas didn't let himself forget it.

Closing his orders, Lucas's nanocomputer sent a set of instructions to the Pacific's datacore.

>>>Load: Chief Engineer's Log, CSS Pacific.
>>>Begin Entry.

Lucas framed the words in his mind, phrasing them self-consciously in Galactic Standard.

"Pursuant to orders, AI unit has been successfully installed on Pacific. I have remedied the 0.0000000000000000095s lag observed in calculation of differential stardrive equations though the installation of a standard military-grade type 986.1B supplemental logical cache. The AI requests its appreciation be noted in the log."

That took care of his last obligation other than meeting the new captain. Lucas sighed and was distantly aware of the texture of his hammock through his bodysuit. He reluctantly disengaged from the shipwide grid. The warm, sterile interior of the Pacific returned as he opened his eyes.

For a long moment, Lucas stared at the pipes above. Technically, it was a courtesy. A formality. He didn't have to go out and meet the crew. Jak would be there to answer their questions. He really didn't want to go either. Lucas avoided Caine as much as he could, which worked out well enough so far. Caine probably didn't even notice.

Looking over at his combination jumpsuit and uniform, Lucas weighed his options. If he didn't go meet the crew, the captain would end up seeking him out eventually. He might be pissed too. Lucas didn't really care what the cvaptain thought of him, but he didn't want to spend five years in the brig. Pacific didn't even have a brig.

Zipping his bodysuit back up, Lucas flipped off his hammock and muttered to himself, "Yes, sir! No, sir! Frack off, sir!"

He seized the uniform in his hands and roughly pulled it over his body. Climate weave or no, his legs were sweating furiously before he had the jumpsuit over his shoulders. Lucas made the command decision to leave it half-zipped so he could get some air at least. He ran a comb quickly through his blonde hair and tried not to look too closely at his white face and the treelike shadows of veins that climbed across it.

Adjusting the straps on his gridcaster for the jumpsuit's sleeve and mentally steeling himself, Lucas went to greet the crew, sweating all the way.
[/sblock]

Prof Yeti said:

Administrator Kara[SBLOCK]
Taking a moment to compose himself before he begins Gabriel lets his eyes linger across the Administrator' visage. "If I am correct in my understanding you would like me to use my talents, with the assistance of the Artificial Intelligence, to monitor the crews emotional and mental states. And in addition to help direct their energies into endeavors that are more in line with the goals of the Concord. Would that be the correct understanding?"

Taking a moment he begins his next thought before she can speak. "I shall do what I can. But I must admit I am somewhat uncomfortable with using my abilities against someones will outside of combat."[/SBLOCK]

Click to expand...

[SBLOCK]
Administrator Kara speaks in a gently reassuring and confident tone. "Not at all, not at all. You misunderstand. The purity of the mission will impel the crew to fulfill their better natures. You are merely there to chronicle their progress, and to assist them where you can, and as a kind of control, a safeguard, should any of them fall prey to their darker impulses. I am not asking you to abuse their free will with your psionic powers (that would be contrary to the law and ideals of the Galactic Concord!) but to act as their guide and counsellor."

She pauses and reflects a moment before continuing, "And of course, some of these people are criminals, after all. You may need to use your abilities to ensure the safety of the crew and the security of the mission. But only as a last resort. I firmly believe that the nobility of this cause will bring out the better natures of the crew."
[/SBLOCK]

Van

[sblock]Van stood in spacedock looking over the ship. No, it wasn't much to look at, but it didn't have to be. He just needed it to fly, hopefully as far away from his father as he possibly could. Yes, Sir. I'll do you and the Concord proud, Van had assured Administrator Kara. Of course he'd assured her. That's what he did; he told people what they wanted to hear. Or he made them laugh. Anything to keep them from coming down on him. Anything to have some peace.

The dress uniform itched, and the stupid collar always felt too tight, but here in a major Concord hub, he'd have to wear it. Look official, he told himself. Look like you have the slightest clue what you're doing here.

Van sighed, turning down the corridor to the entry air lock. His palm print opened the hatch, a rush of recycled air greeting him. Best to get to it, then. He took a step forward, then stopped.

One thing he'd had enough of was all this glaring artificial light. Official or not, Van pulled out his dark glasses and slipped them on. If he was going to have to face command, he could at least do it without squinting. That the glasses might also keep others from seeing the cold nervousness sweeping through him ... well, that was just a nice side benefit.[/sblock]

Gabriel Dane - Mindwalker - Espion/Telepath (Mind Knight)

Administrator Kara
[sblock]With a slight relaxing of his posture Gabriel meets the Administrators eye easily. "Very well. That I believe I can assist you with as we progress. I would only have two more small questions and I will leave you to your undoubtfully busy schedule. The first is when do I report. And the other would be where."[/sblock]