Rubato Tales STELLARDATE 102081: Space Zombie Ogre Magi!
Note: The following article does not in fact exist anymore, Aerick's journal instead details a short passage about Victorian clothing and the fashionable aspects of the wimple and corset and a rather vitriolic dialog with Maria about the need to wear one shortly, and why rib removal will make life so much easier for a bit, and besides the Doc can put one back in anyway when we leave, seesh does no one on the ship care about decent clothing when visiting new ports of call.
begin
initiate
SCANNING, SCANNING...
Capn Maggie decided we should engage in a series of short skips to our next destination, a mining operation in the LAL 21285 stellar system, aka Grunweld.
The habitable planet of the system is a throwback world, something like a luddite style theme park, ren faire and loonie bin for people who thought the Austro-Hungarian Empire during its Victorian Era was the height of civilization. The apparently eschew modern technology even more than my companions, none of whom seem to have the vaguest idea what a nano-manipulator is or why the Cyberdyne Widgetnanodock is the coolest thing ever. Still to each his own.
Delivering the cargo was not a problem as we pulled into the gas mining operation around the 4th planet in the system a Superjovian class world. It was during this time that we picket up a distress beacon from a ship in a higher and more distant orbit. Naturally we went to help the crew of such a distressed ship and headed right over.
The ship turned out to be a Drake Class Marine Escort Picket named the Hawkins and we could pick up very few signs of life and a ship with virtually no external damage or life signs, although it is hard to scan military ships. Maggie maneuvered us near it and we shot a line over and then spacewalked over to it. The hatch need some convincing to work but a bit of nanowizardry was all that was needed and some coding.
Zechi went in first since he was in the mech and it seemed safe enough so the rest of us entered. Along with my companions from our Ceres adventure, Maria, Annarug, and Jacques, the rest of the crew joined us, our pilot Leslie Tyson, some sort of self styled “spacetrucker,” the aforemention Zechi a mech operator and Jackson Fillmore Clinton our superstitious engineer.
Upon entering we discovered that the ship was essentially running on minimal support and although it had a breathable atmosphere only Jacques and Annarug decided to fold their helmets after Annarug said the air was clean. Something he did just after Jacques had already tested it by opening his helmet!
I summoned a remote and quickly scouted the science deck and found no signs of life. We decided to split up into pairs and search out the rest of the ship. Jacques and Jackson checked out the main deck while Zechi and his mech headed for cargo, Annarug, Maria, Tyson and I headed ot scan different parts of the science deck after we ascertained the bridge had been locked down.
Annarug discovered some weird biopods that had apparently been opened and was perusing medical records about the ships activities while I am Maria checked on the computer and security. They were suppose to deliver a cargo to Grunweld 4A and distant moon of the Superjovian planet although we found it off no emergency response had come from there. Many possibilities for a lack of response were discussed with Jacques ”its' Space Zombies” being as likely as any.
While Maria and I looked into the security data, which all when blank after one of the pods was spotted opening, Jackson discovered bodies of 8 of the 12 crewmen in their bunks, dead. Annarug discovered that a small puncture wound on their necks was the killing blow and I ascertained that some bloody nanomanipulation was going to preserve the bodies by draining them of oxygen apparently we were to discover, for who knows what reason. Although Jacques did insist this was proof of Space Zombies...
We decided to use the torch on Zechi's mech to cut our way into the Engineering compartment as both it and the Cargo bay were sealed off. Meanwhile Annarug, whom we all decided was best to call Doc at this point did autopsies on the bodies. He seemed overly fond of autopsies in my book but eh.
When we finally got into engineering it was a gruesome scene, the chief engineer lay dead splatted against the far wall and a huge arm, obviously both cybernetic, synthorganic and nanoactive lie on the floor.
After Jackson, Jacques and Tyson made their was to the bridge I and Maria, who insisted that we safety-link ourselves to a rope she attached to the wall, hacked the system and got it to open the door to the bridge with help from some of the others, I dunno what we expected to find but a 7 foot tall ogre doing a performance art piece of interpretive dance which involved the captains internal organs remaining bits was NOT IT!
I quickly closed the doors again but this triggered some sort of preset AI program which activated the ships thrusters, opened every hatch of the ship and vented the air throughout the whole ship. It also let all the space ogres loose. This was not good.
Fortunately I was able to get into the security system which we had looked into earlier and relay all of this to the rest of the crew. It seemed there were 4 of the horrors running loose. One outside the ship apparently shooting at the Rubato, which caused Maggie to back off, way off, as she told us about the Hawkins thrusters firing. Two more from the cargo hold were coming up different hatches and the one in the captains quarters apparently decided to replace interpretive dance with interpretive gunfire.
Things got kinda messy at this point.
Jacques and his rail gun along with Jackson and Tyson engaged on a shootout with the Ogre dancer while Zechi headed to hold the one off coming in a airlock. I managed to convince the computer to shut off the gravplating in the airlock, preventing it from being able from getting enough leverage to rip the door open and between that at Zechi's gunfire it decided to try another airlock instead. Jacques and crew managed to blow apart the one in the bridge and while he headed to help out Zechi, Tyson and Jackson went to work getting this ship under control. Maria also headed to help Zechi while I was trying to aid the computer programing that Jackson was doing. After I finished helping them with that I saw a nanoremoter begin to appear which revealed that one of the ogres must be a nanomanipulator too, fortunately a round of gunfight dispersed it and I left to help out with the firefight developing in the stairwell, meanwhile the Doc seemed to have vanished!
Several railgun slugs, laser blasts, a few shots from some handguns and an awful lot of ducking and dodging later, along with a quick healing on Jacques and we managed to blow apart the violent but apparently creative creatures. Along the way Jackson and Tyson managed to get the ship back under our control and deactivate the AI that had taken over.
Later we found the Doc hiding in one of the Biopods and he revealed the extent of the bioweapons program and testing they were apparently doing. With the fight over we were left with a dilemma.
Do we turn in the ship for salvage and thus get a rather hefty boost to our wealth but run the risk of being “mindwiped” or worse for having stumbled on a Military Black Op or do we loot what we clan, clean off the material and take a few goodies for ourselves before programing the ship to skip over and say hello to LAL 21285 itself for a quick incineration to cover our tracks. While I felt that as good citizens of the Confederation we should do the right thing apparently most of the rest of the crew were less than convinced of the stellar reputation of the government itself. In the end Maggie let us vote on it before making her mind up and I was for the salvage plan Jacques was for the loot idea, while Zechi, Tyson, Jackson and the Doc were waffling. After more discussion Jackson and the Doc were for the loot plan as well and Maggie sided with them at this point. So the others went about grabbing what they could while Maggie programed the Hawkins for its last voyage.
Jackson was able to score one of the ships small fighters while the Doc grabbed medical gear and Jacques headed for the weapons. I decided not to take anything and went to erase any and all records and evidence I had of this adventure which brings me to this moment
...SCAN COMPLETE
all
run
initiate
nanowipe
quantum
end
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Zechs Marquise Journal Entry 10/21/2290
When I saw Captain Platt's posting on the VRNet for a salvage expert, I wondered how likely a little clunker like the Rubato would come across worthwhile salvage. Well, within a couple of weeks of coming on board, I definitely stopped wondering. A military frigate! I've done some dangerous jobs these last few years, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on that ship. I'm almost too afraid to write this in my journal - I'd rather just pretend it didn't happen, but I refuse to let it fade into a nightmare.
Those creatures, they reminded me of those ancient and horrific children's stories about Shrek, the blood-thirsty ogre. I'm thankful that we have some experienced military people on the crew; Jacques sharp-shooting was probably the difference between life and death for most of us.
But there are so many questions. Where were those things bound? How were they created? Who could be sick enough to want to study them? And what was their ultimate purpose?
At least we destroyed everything that remained of the abominations. It amazed me to hear the arguments that some of the others were making to turn the ship and its contents over to the military for a reward. They claimed that the government was "good", that they protected the people. If they are as good as they claim, then why would they be experimenting with these monsters?
Besides, if we had turned in the ship, it could have become...difficult - we'd certainly be investigated thoroughly before being rewarded. I can't afford that level of scrutiny if I want to stay safe, though it may soon be time to reveal myself. I realized something after Aerick mentioned neuro-transfer "resurrection". My parents must have had a similar arrangement, but someone must have interfered with the transfer. I was so distraught at their deaths and rushed away so quickly by Duo, that it never occurred to me to look into it. I will have to investigate when we return to a more civilized society.
Those creatures, they reminded me of those ancient and horrific children's stories about Shrek, the blood-thirsty ogre. I'm thankful that we have some experienced military people on the crew; Jacques sharp-shooting was probably the difference between life and death for most of us.
But there are so many questions. Where were those things bound? How were they created? Who could be sick enough to want to study them? And what was their ultimate purpose?
At least we destroyed everything that remained of the abominations. It amazed me to hear the arguments that some of the others were making to turn the ship and its contents over to the military for a reward. They claimed that the government was "good", that they protected the people. If they are as good as they claim, then why would they be experimenting with these monsters?
Besides, if we had turned in the ship, it could have become...difficult - we'd certainly be investigated thoroughly before being rewarded. I can't afford that level of scrutiny if I want to stay safe, though it may soon be time to reveal myself. I realized something after Aerick mentioned neuro-transfer "resurrection". My parents must have had a similar arrangement, but someone must have interfered with the transfer. I was so distraught at their deaths and rushed away so quickly by Duo, that it never occurred to me to look into it. I will have to investigate when we return to a more civilized society.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Episode 1: Ceres-the Adventures of Inappropriate Man!
Rubato Tales: The Adventures of Inappropriate Man!
The captain just picked up a couple of new passengers at our last port of call, Jacques Berlioze, a mercenary from the Jovian moons and Annarug Orgen, a computer specialist. Along with Maria, an ex-law enforcement expert with a rather well known past, just check out the video on the Interstellar Net, it's not pretty...
Captain Maggie set course foe the asteroid Ceres. Never been there myself but heard about it of course, as its a rather well known transshipment point.
After Skip we got our first look at Ceres. Its an old settlement now and thus the asteroid have virtually entirely been mined out, built up, wrecked, ravaged and rebuilt, over and over again. The Surface shined with enough lights that it looked like it was filled with stars!
That view did not last as we closed to our docking port and cranes, piers, gravitic generators, gas jets, radio towers, docking tugs, maintenance shafts and equipment, local; transport vehicles and small space tugs seemed to arrive, dock and depart in what can only be described as looking like a beehive on steroids and speed.
We docked without further trouble and, after buying our air for the day (hello business marketing opportunity! The cannister air was awful...) made out way to Francois Deleiur, a dolphin headed man with a french accent! I tried not to stare and mostly succeeded. It was his very civilized manners that made the statement that our shipment had been stolen vaguely more easy to take.
Fortunately he had caught the thieves on camera and we reviewed the recordings. What was odd was that they specifically went for our shipment, someone had in it for the Capn. We called Maggie and she had no idea other than that some previous owners of the Rubato might have issues with her but heavily encouraged us to retrieve the cargo.
The thieves looked a like like local gangers and I was able to chat up some locals about just blokes while Maria looked into the legal side of things and Annarug did some computer diving. We all collaborated and agreed that the center of the asteroid was our best bet as the center of the local raver community and party center.
After Jacques made sure to procure his weapons we headed down to the wrong end of the gravity well. I managed to hook up with some local ladies, Angelique, Desere, Mona, and Shawnee, who called themselves the Angels of Ceres, and my what fine ladies they are! The seemed well connected and promised to show me the sights. They were not wrong, the dance floor was jumping, the light show incredible and I am pretty certain various gaseous rave chemicals were released... regularly! I kinda lost track of thing when the ladies bought a round of shots called Ceres Supernova's and well... woke up the next morning the ladies apartment, lacking various pieces of clothing but with most of my money and a lot of one credit deposits into my account and a lot of drinks bought that used them all up. The rest of the details for the evening will not be going into this account! Apparently Annarug managed to hack the parties video feed and broadcast porn which lead to his new nickname of Inappropriate Man, and tried to track the shipment but I kinda missed most of that on account of the ladies soo....
Annarug, Jacques and Maria had managed to stay on point however and tracked the pictured thugs they had found back to their turf. After saying my goodbyes to the ladies, although I will be sure to meet see them again, they all seemed pretty well connected and very very agile....
We decided to ambush the leader of the gang on his way to some meeting or another and force the bloke to tell us where he took the cargo.
The fight was short but intense. Maria acted as a distraction as she apparently danced with the guy at the rave. Just after she walked over and started chatting with him Jacques used his military grade hardware and blew the chest out of the female bodyguard, the boss thug and his remaining bodyguard turned and started shooting at Jacques and Annarug while I tried to taser the bodyguard but missed.
It was then that Maria apparently wished something about shoving weapons at tender portions of his anatomy-he had pushed her behind him in order to protect her! Good work Maria! Annarug and hacked the stations lights was causing the lights to go crazy and thats when I added in a comment about him not knowing exactly how many weapons were actually pointing at him, his name was George by the way, at the time. He saw the wisdom of our words and was convinced to tell us about where he took the goods, which turned out to be a ship run by Hoddington Industries Freighter docked 317B. As they departed and the others cleaned up I went an puked in a corner. I ain't squimish about killing, seen that before, but to see it done so blatantly and her life regarded as so disposable, well I can only hope she had a Res Policy but I kinda doubt it.
A little research revealed that it had a crew of 6 and was a small private freighter. We decided that since we had no idea how long it would be in port we had better act fast. While I gathered some basic supplies and maintenance gear Maria joined the Station Basic Maintenance staff so we could get a basic security pass. Maggie gave us the RFID code for the container and we proceed to head over to the ship pretending to be maintenance. The ships guard fell for the ruse and after a quick tasering, a boot to the head and spilling of a little booze over him while Annarug blanked the sensors we quickly retrieved the cargo and headed out. Jacques suggested we take out the rest of the crew but I am not ready to become a pirate! Fortunately the others agreed and we got out without bloody trouble. Maggie was pleased and we shoved off without further incidence.
Blimey, buy your air. What a universe.
More later, thats all now from Ceres.
The captain just picked up a couple of new passengers at our last port of call, Jacques Berlioze, a mercenary from the Jovian moons and Annarug Orgen, a computer specialist. Along with Maria, an ex-law enforcement expert with a rather well known past, just check out the video on the Interstellar Net, it's not pretty...
Captain Maggie set course foe the asteroid Ceres. Never been there myself but heard about it of course, as its a rather well known transshipment point.
After Skip we got our first look at Ceres. Its an old settlement now and thus the asteroid have virtually entirely been mined out, built up, wrecked, ravaged and rebuilt, over and over again. The Surface shined with enough lights that it looked like it was filled with stars!
That view did not last as we closed to our docking port and cranes, piers, gravitic generators, gas jets, radio towers, docking tugs, maintenance shafts and equipment, local; transport vehicles and small space tugs seemed to arrive, dock and depart in what can only be described as looking like a beehive on steroids and speed.
We docked without further trouble and, after buying our air for the day (hello business marketing opportunity! The cannister air was awful...) made out way to Francois Deleiur, a dolphin headed man with a french accent! I tried not to stare and mostly succeeded. It was his very civilized manners that made the statement that our shipment had been stolen vaguely more easy to take.
Fortunately he had caught the thieves on camera and we reviewed the recordings. What was odd was that they specifically went for our shipment, someone had in it for the Capn. We called Maggie and she had no idea other than that some previous owners of the Rubato might have issues with her but heavily encouraged us to retrieve the cargo.
The thieves looked a like like local gangers and I was able to chat up some locals about just blokes while Maria looked into the legal side of things and Annarug did some computer diving. We all collaborated and agreed that the center of the asteroid was our best bet as the center of the local raver community and party center.
After Jacques made sure to procure his weapons we headed down to the wrong end of the gravity well. I managed to hook up with some local ladies, Angelique, Desere, Mona, and Shawnee, who called themselves the Angels of Ceres, and my what fine ladies they are! The seemed well connected and promised to show me the sights. They were not wrong, the dance floor was jumping, the light show incredible and I am pretty certain various gaseous rave chemicals were released... regularly! I kinda lost track of thing when the ladies bought a round of shots called Ceres Supernova's and well... woke up the next morning the ladies apartment, lacking various pieces of clothing but with most of my money and a lot of one credit deposits into my account and a lot of drinks bought that used them all up. The rest of the details for the evening will not be going into this account! Apparently Annarug managed to hack the parties video feed and broadcast porn which lead to his new nickname of Inappropriate Man, and tried to track the shipment but I kinda missed most of that on account of the ladies soo....
Annarug, Jacques and Maria had managed to stay on point however and tracked the pictured thugs they had found back to their turf. After saying my goodbyes to the ladies, although I will be sure to meet see them again, they all seemed pretty well connected and very very agile....
We decided to ambush the leader of the gang on his way to some meeting or another and force the bloke to tell us where he took the cargo.
The fight was short but intense. Maria acted as a distraction as she apparently danced with the guy at the rave. Just after she walked over and started chatting with him Jacques used his military grade hardware and blew the chest out of the female bodyguard, the boss thug and his remaining bodyguard turned and started shooting at Jacques and Annarug while I tried to taser the bodyguard but missed.
It was then that Maria apparently wished something about shoving weapons at tender portions of his anatomy-he had pushed her behind him in order to protect her! Good work Maria! Annarug and hacked the stations lights was causing the lights to go crazy and thats when I added in a comment about him not knowing exactly how many weapons were actually pointing at him, his name was George by the way, at the time. He saw the wisdom of our words and was convinced to tell us about where he took the goods, which turned out to be a ship run by Hoddington Industries Freighter docked 317B. As they departed and the others cleaned up I went an puked in a corner. I ain't squimish about killing, seen that before, but to see it done so blatantly and her life regarded as so disposable, well I can only hope she had a Res Policy but I kinda doubt it.
A little research revealed that it had a crew of 6 and was a small private freighter. We decided that since we had no idea how long it would be in port we had better act fast. While I gathered some basic supplies and maintenance gear Maria joined the Station Basic Maintenance staff so we could get a basic security pass. Maggie gave us the RFID code for the container and we proceed to head over to the ship pretending to be maintenance. The ships guard fell for the ruse and after a quick tasering, a boot to the head and spilling of a little booze over him while Annarug blanked the sensors we quickly retrieved the cargo and headed out. Jacques suggested we take out the rest of the crew but I am not ready to become a pirate! Fortunately the others agreed and we got out without bloody trouble. Maggie was pleased and we shoved off without further incidence.
Blimey, buy your air. What a universe.
More later, thats all now from Ceres.
You guys need a grease jockey, right?
Hey. Right. Here, I got my papers here somewhere. No, wrong kind of papers. Here, these are the ones. Says right here: Uhura Colony, New Zion. Freeport City. Accredited to work on all manner of vacuum engines. Even cleared to work with radioactives. See? Right there.
No, really. It's a check mark. The paper's just folded funny there. Yeah, I know it looks like it was written in pen, but it's legit. Trust me, no fool is going to mess with glow sticks unless they know which way the rays are shooting. And I'm no fool. Four months cleaning Xenon out of the reactors on the Marcus Garvey, and it wasn't my fault what happened. Some hot-shot pilot gets juiced and doesn't remember that gravity is stronger when you get closer to the rocks and everyone on board gets blamed.
Never mind. I can pilot, too. Some ships, anyway. So, is this your dingy? No? The shuttle?
Oh. Well, it's a fine looking ship. No, really. A lick of paint and she'll look right out of the movies, you bet.
Listen, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm probably going to be keeping my suit on for the first couple weeks. It's like a nervous habit. No big thing.
Oh, yeah. Back at New Zion I used to do some work for Vinnie the Weasle Escrow company. Nice place. They'll even refrence me, if you want to pay for the call. But there's this guy. I guess it's a guy, all I did was talk to him over the phones, you know? So, this LolKraut293 was behind on some payments, and... Well, I don't work the phones anymore. But if you hear of this dude, let me know right away, OK? I mean, I don't think that LolKraut293 is going to blow the ship out of the Black or nothing, and I mean - really - how's he going to know I'm here? But I like to be careful, you know?
Oh, and if anyone asks about Dave from New Zion, I never heard of him. But let me know if anyone asks, all right?
Oh, yeah. My tools got scattered in the Marcus G. incident. I think they're coasting in to the sun from Ceres. I hope you have a spare set.
So, dude, when do I start?
Oh, yeah, I'll need to bum a suit off you, too. It's all good, bro.
-Jackson Fillmore Clinton. Certified mechanic.
No, really. It's a check mark. The paper's just folded funny there. Yeah, I know it looks like it was written in pen, but it's legit. Trust me, no fool is going to mess with glow sticks unless they know which way the rays are shooting. And I'm no fool. Four months cleaning Xenon out of the reactors on the Marcus Garvey, and it wasn't my fault what happened. Some hot-shot pilot gets juiced and doesn't remember that gravity is stronger when you get closer to the rocks and everyone on board gets blamed.
Never mind. I can pilot, too. Some ships, anyway. So, is this your dingy? No? The shuttle?
Oh. Well, it's a fine looking ship. No, really. A lick of paint and she'll look right out of the movies, you bet.
Listen, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm probably going to be keeping my suit on for the first couple weeks. It's like a nervous habit. No big thing.
Oh, yeah. Back at New Zion I used to do some work for Vinnie the Weasle Escrow company. Nice place. They'll even refrence me, if you want to pay for the call. But there's this guy. I guess it's a guy, all I did was talk to him over the phones, you know? So, this LolKraut293 was behind on some payments, and... Well, I don't work the phones anymore. But if you hear of this dude, let me know right away, OK? I mean, I don't think that LolKraut293 is going to blow the ship out of the Black or nothing, and I mean - really - how's he going to know I'm here? But I like to be careful, you know?
Oh, and if anyone asks about Dave from New Zion, I never heard of him. But let me know if anyone asks, all right?
Oh, yeah. My tools got scattered in the Marcus G. incident. I think they're coasting in to the sun from Ceres. I hope you have a spare set.
So, dude, when do I start?
Oh, yeah, I'll need to bum a suit off you, too. It's all good, bro.
-Jackson Fillmore Clinton. Certified mechanic.
Ceres Security Notice
To all points of entry, Ceres:
One Jacques Berlioz is to be denied entry until he can be questioned by Ceres Internal Security in the role of his firearm in the death of one Jane McGowan. The composition of the tungsten alloy residue left at the scene of her death matched with 96% likelihood that of his weapon. This is not considered a warrant at this time.
One Jacques Berlioz is to be denied entry until he can be questioned by Ceres Internal Security in the role of his firearm in the death of one Jane McGowan. The composition of the tungsten alloy residue left at the scene of her death matched with 96% likelihood that of his weapon. This is not considered a warrant at this time.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Profile: Haddington Holdings, LLC
Founded: 2278, Mars Office of Incorporation.
CEO: Diane Mitchell
CIO: Devon Rutard
CFO: Niles Perthington VI
Known Subsidiaries:
Haddington Transshipping, LLC
Mitchell Fab Systems, Inc.
Berkshire Colony Corporation
Burlington Genomics, LLC
Recent news items:
Haddington Transshipping LLC wins contract to service Morris Industries L4 Station in Earth system.
Berkshire Colony Corporation, a fully licensed colony of the ICC and The Nippon Space and Exploration Agency records record profits as GenMod terraforming plankton colonies increase the O2 content of Berkshire to 2%, in 2 years – a new terraforming record!
Haddington Holdings LLC announces a 10% shareholder gain on better than expected profits due to their AI and Genetics subsidiaries.
CEO: Diane Mitchell
CIO: Devon Rutard
CFO: Niles Perthington VI
Known Subsidiaries:
Haddington Transshipping, LLC
Mitchell Fab Systems, Inc.
Berkshire Colony Corporation
Burlington Genomics, LLC
Recent news items:
Haddington Transshipping LLC wins contract to service Morris Industries L4 Station in Earth system.
Berkshire Colony Corporation, a fully licensed colony of the ICC and The Nippon Space and Exploration Agency records record profits as GenMod terraforming plankton colonies increase the O2 content of Berkshire to 2%, in 2 years – a new terraforming record!
Haddington Holdings LLC announces a 10% shareholder gain on better than expected profits due to their AI and Genetics subsidiaries.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Greetings From Aerick
Greetings strangers, and welcome to my journal of the tales of the fine starship Rubato. Allow me to introduce myself, Aerick MacKenzie is my name. I joined the Rubato awhile ago when the Capn made port in New Wellington, which had been my home up until then. After arranging for a number of supplies and due to his sudden lack of supply specialist, something to do with legal proceeding, beer and too many women I think on part of their last specialist, the Capn asked if I would fill in for awhile, or at least until their next port, promising a fair share of the profits and this enough money to get back should I wish it. That was many ports ago! It;s far more interesting here than New Wellington ever was so I think I will stick around for a bit.
A bit of background, me mum and da, Ula Marial and Chen MacKenzie were settlers on New Wellington from a mixed Anglo/Maori and Chinese family, they were both a bit elderly and had given up on having kids when the chance to adopt me came along. I am something of a orphan ya see, I was found abandoned apparently in a market in New Wellington and while rumors of a crashed space pod around that time seemed to indicate and off world origin nothing much came of the investigation, such as one was. The Dr's said I was healthy enough and was placed in an orphanage after quarantine. Ula, or mum, was the sister of a nurse there and she fell in love with me at first sight, so my stay in the state run facility was brief.
Mum and Da raised me right and I grew up in the relative isolation and comfort of a small coastal town of New Port just outside of the big city. It was nice enough and I enjoyed it and even stuck around to help run the family businesses, a small pub, seafood joint and sheep farm up in the hills. A few years ago the inevitable happened and I went over one Sunday to find them having died peacefully in their sleep, neither had been in great health for while so it was hardly unexpected, still it hurt and I grieved for a time, but as they would say, life goes on.
Before I knew it a couple years had passed and when the Spaceport opened a new hub near the New Port I started a business in delivering sandwiches and lunch to the workers and travelers. I was lucrative and I got my first look and heard my first tales from travelers to other worlds. Of course I knew about them but never thought I might go to see them. Still I was bored with the businesses in New Port and everywhere I looked I remembered Mum and Da. Moping around town was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I found myself hanging around more and more at the Spaceport. It was there that Capn and I hooked up and given my abilities and contacts he offered me a place on the ship, I have not looked back. Don't get me wrong, I have a nice place to retire too and a good, if quiet, life waiting for me back there should I want it, but for now its to the stars that my road takes me.
A bit of background, me mum and da, Ula Marial and Chen MacKenzie were settlers on New Wellington from a mixed Anglo/Maori and Chinese family, they were both a bit elderly and had given up on having kids when the chance to adopt me came along. I am something of a orphan ya see, I was found abandoned apparently in a market in New Wellington and while rumors of a crashed space pod around that time seemed to indicate and off world origin nothing much came of the investigation, such as one was. The Dr's said I was healthy enough and was placed in an orphanage after quarantine. Ula, or mum, was the sister of a nurse there and she fell in love with me at first sight, so my stay in the state run facility was brief.
Mum and Da raised me right and I grew up in the relative isolation and comfort of a small coastal town of New Port just outside of the big city. It was nice enough and I enjoyed it and even stuck around to help run the family businesses, a small pub, seafood joint and sheep farm up in the hills. A few years ago the inevitable happened and I went over one Sunday to find them having died peacefully in their sleep, neither had been in great health for while so it was hardly unexpected, still it hurt and I grieved for a time, but as they would say, life goes on.
Before I knew it a couple years had passed and when the Spaceport opened a new hub near the New Port I started a business in delivering sandwiches and lunch to the workers and travelers. I was lucrative and I got my first look and heard my first tales from travelers to other worlds. Of course I knew about them but never thought I might go to see them. Still I was bored with the businesses in New Port and everywhere I looked I remembered Mum and Da. Moping around town was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I found myself hanging around more and more at the Spaceport. It was there that Capn and I hooked up and given my abilities and contacts he offered me a place on the ship, I have not looked back. Don't get me wrong, I have a nice place to retire too and a good, if quiet, life waiting for me back there should I want it, but for now its to the stars that my road takes me.
Teddys' character
Anaraug Ortem was born on Zion to an immigrant family. Several generations before his birth, his great grandparents on his mothers' fathers' side and his grandparents on his fathers' side had made pilgrimages to the planet in order to live among their own people. They were all fanatics and they were all religeous, but at least they were not fanatic about their religeon.
In his youth Anaraug was both intellectual and athletic, although not particularly popular. This is largly due to the fact that although he he has no special talent for any of these things, he is an exeptionaly hard worker. Perhaps it was this which worked in concert with the stories he had heard of earth and other places that prompted him to flee his home world in search of adventures in space and on other planets.
His journey began at the age of 25 when he abruptly left his doctorate program in order to study abroad. Thereafter he spent his days hopping from planet to planet, never staying in the same place for more then a year or so, teaching and studying his craft as he went. By the time he had reached the age of 26 Anaraug had finished his doctorate in integrated medical hardwear. this field of medicine shows a lot of potential, but so far nothing ground breaking has been done. The cost of medical tech is already so high that it is usualy not cost efective to impliment such devics for anything less then military application.
After visiting several universities and realizing the absolutely stifling amount of knowledge which would be required for him to be counted amongst the leaders of any field, he almost resorted to cybernetics in order to further improve his mind. The procedure would have been simple enouph and affordable, but the avoidence of the downsides to having cybernetics required the implimentation of several other pieces in order to return the subject to a lifestyle identical to the one he had before.
After deciding against the procedure Anaraug had what can only be described as a mid life crisis. Anaraug fled the world of academics in order to pursue new and exiting fields.
In his youth Anaraug was both intellectual and athletic, although not particularly popular. This is largly due to the fact that although he he has no special talent for any of these things, he is an exeptionaly hard worker. Perhaps it was this which worked in concert with the stories he had heard of earth and other places that prompted him to flee his home world in search of adventures in space and on other planets.
His journey began at the age of 25 when he abruptly left his doctorate program in order to study abroad. Thereafter he spent his days hopping from planet to planet, never staying in the same place for more then a year or so, teaching and studying his craft as he went. By the time he had reached the age of 26 Anaraug had finished his doctorate in integrated medical hardwear. this field of medicine shows a lot of potential, but so far nothing ground breaking has been done. The cost of medical tech is already so high that it is usualy not cost efective to impliment such devics for anything less then military application.
After visiting several universities and realizing the absolutely stifling amount of knowledge which would be required for him to be counted amongst the leaders of any field, he almost resorted to cybernetics in order to further improve his mind. The procedure would have been simple enouph and affordable, but the avoidence of the downsides to having cybernetics required the implimentation of several other pieces in order to return the subject to a lifestyle identical to the one he had before.
After deciding against the procedure Anaraug had what can only be described as a mid life crisis. Anaraug fled the world of academics in order to pursue new and exiting fields.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Enter Jacques Berlioz
Born and raised on Europa, Jacques lived a fairly normal Jovian childhood. Days spent schooling and frolicking fill up the majority of his early years. The one thing always on his mind, however, was hunting. He had heard stories and watched film of big game hunting and African safari's in Earths history. At an early age he got a low power target rifle from his father as a gift and spent many an afternoon at the target ranges.
When he reached manhood he was finally able to put his skills to work by joining the Jovian militia. He received many marksmanship awards in boot camp and was accepted into sniper school, where he further honed his skills. He eventually became a candidate for a top-secret "super soldier" program.
A bizarre cocktail of chemicals and nanobots were injected into his body, the primary goal of which were to increase his perceptive capabilities. Over the course of several days the mixture accomplished what it was supposed to do. All of Jacques' senses skyrocketed; he was suddenly aware of things a normal human would be unable comprehend. He noticed minute details with remarkable speed, his sense of smell rivaled most canines, he could even sense the presence of others by sound, much like the echolocation employed by bats.
However there were serious side-effects. His immune system and several organs completely shut down. His body was no longer able to remove basic toxins, such as alcohol or even the compound he was injected with (which was known to be toxic by it's developers, however the military decided to ignore the issue). The chemicals had actually bonded with Jacques marrow, meaning there was no "cost-effective" way of removing it from his system. Worse yet was the fact that his body no longer healed it's own wounds. The only way to counteract these drawbacks was a daily dose of Antitox and the application of a Body Repair Weave.
This was not the end of the damage the procedure caused. The sudden influx of sensory data to his brain caused a minor overload. The shock caused a minor psychosis to settle in. There were two things going through his mind as his body was overhauled: his promised monetary compensation, and his desire to kill the ones responsible. These two emotions, greed and blood lust, were permanently embossed into his psyche.
Money and murder. Henceforth these would be the two driving forces that he based all of his decisions on.
After his medical discharge for "accidental contamination with a hazardous substance" he found money was scarce. To remedy this he got a job with one of the local crime syndicates in Atlantas. The jobs he was assigned provided him with copious amounts of both wealth and blood. Eventually he found that there was a profession that allowed him to get these things in a more legal fashion. Jacques would become a mercenary.
He ended up joining Mifune-Leonhard, LLC., a PMC (Private Military Company) opperating off of Callisto. As a soldier of fortune he made friends with many people, both upstanding and unsavory. Everyone was able to appreciate his efficiency. You give him enough money and he would do just about anything.
Jacques worked for the PCM for several years, but yearned to leave the system and, hopefully, get an opportunity to kill new, unique people from around the galaxy. He turned in his resignation to Heinrich Leonhard, but after a long discussion he instead took an “extended leave of absence." He got a job working on the Rubato in hopes of seeing some action out of the system.
This information is kept to himself unless it is required. All of his experiences with the military and the mob are kept to himself regardless of circumstances.
Contacts:
Napoleon DuVerger, a childhood friend of Jacques, shared in his friends fascination with hunting. However he was born with a rare condition that causes his bones to be exceptionally brittle. Due to this ailment he was unable to enlist with his friend. Even though he was unable to fight he developed a love for weapons. After a attaining a degree at the Atlantic Polytechnical Institute he started a business manufacturing and distributing military grade weapons and munitions.
Sgt. Lucas Brandel was Jacques' instructor while he was undergoing sniper training. Over the course of the program he and Jacques became good friends. He was also the one that recommended Jacques for the "super-soldier" program, thinking it would be an excellent oppertunity for him. Jacques was never made aware of who gave him the recommendation. After the incident Sgt. Brandel resigned to help Jacques recover. Eventually it became evident that recovery would never come. He blames himself for what happened and still seeks penance for what happened.
Before getting a job at Mifune-Leonhard, Jacques worked for Anthony “Tony” Smalls, a local crime lord in Atlantas. He worked as a contract killer and as a personal bodyguard to the Don. It was Tony that suggested Jacques get a job as a merc and provided him with a means to do so (as the mob boss had several connections in Mifune-Leonhard). The two are on very good terms.
Heinrich Leonhard, Co-CEO of Mifune-Leonhard, is on particularity good terms with Jacques. Whenever Heinrich needed a job done that he didn't want anyone to know about he came to Jacques. He has cleaned out his bosses closet more than a few times.
(Note: I've already modified this several times, mostly for ease of reading and continuity. Hopefully this is the final product, however things may change. Nothing major will change, however minor details may be altered, added, or omitted over the course of the next week.)
When he reached manhood he was finally able to put his skills to work by joining the Jovian militia. He received many marksmanship awards in boot camp and was accepted into sniper school, where he further honed his skills. He eventually became a candidate for a top-secret "super soldier" program.
A bizarre cocktail of chemicals and nanobots were injected into his body, the primary goal of which were to increase his perceptive capabilities. Over the course of several days the mixture accomplished what it was supposed to do. All of Jacques' senses skyrocketed; he was suddenly aware of things a normal human would be unable comprehend. He noticed minute details with remarkable speed, his sense of smell rivaled most canines, he could even sense the presence of others by sound, much like the echolocation employed by bats.
However there were serious side-effects. His immune system and several organs completely shut down. His body was no longer able to remove basic toxins, such as alcohol or even the compound he was injected with (which was known to be toxic by it's developers, however the military decided to ignore the issue). The chemicals had actually bonded with Jacques marrow, meaning there was no "cost-effective" way of removing it from his system. Worse yet was the fact that his body no longer healed it's own wounds. The only way to counteract these drawbacks was a daily dose of Antitox and the application of a Body Repair Weave.
This was not the end of the damage the procedure caused. The sudden influx of sensory data to his brain caused a minor overload. The shock caused a minor psychosis to settle in. There were two things going through his mind as his body was overhauled: his promised monetary compensation, and his desire to kill the ones responsible. These two emotions, greed and blood lust, were permanently embossed into his psyche.
Money and murder. Henceforth these would be the two driving forces that he based all of his decisions on.
After his medical discharge for "accidental contamination with a hazardous substance" he found money was scarce. To remedy this he got a job with one of the local crime syndicates in Atlantas. The jobs he was assigned provided him with copious amounts of both wealth and blood. Eventually he found that there was a profession that allowed him to get these things in a more legal fashion. Jacques would become a mercenary.
He ended up joining Mifune-Leonhard, LLC., a PMC (Private Military Company) opperating off of Callisto. As a soldier of fortune he made friends with many people, both upstanding and unsavory. Everyone was able to appreciate his efficiency. You give him enough money and he would do just about anything.
Jacques worked for the PCM for several years, but yearned to leave the system and, hopefully, get an opportunity to kill new, unique people from around the galaxy. He turned in his resignation to Heinrich Leonhard, but after a long discussion he instead took an “extended leave of absence." He got a job working on the Rubato in hopes of seeing some action out of the system.
This information is kept to himself unless it is required. All of his experiences with the military and the mob are kept to himself regardless of circumstances.
Contacts:
Napoleon DuVerger, a childhood friend of Jacques, shared in his friends fascination with hunting. However he was born with a rare condition that causes his bones to be exceptionally brittle. Due to this ailment he was unable to enlist with his friend. Even though he was unable to fight he developed a love for weapons. After a attaining a degree at the Atlantic Polytechnical Institute he started a business manufacturing and distributing military grade weapons and munitions.
Sgt. Lucas Brandel was Jacques' instructor while he was undergoing sniper training. Over the course of the program he and Jacques became good friends. He was also the one that recommended Jacques for the "super-soldier" program, thinking it would be an excellent oppertunity for him. Jacques was never made aware of who gave him the recommendation. After the incident Sgt. Brandel resigned to help Jacques recover. Eventually it became evident that recovery would never come. He blames himself for what happened and still seeks penance for what happened.
Before getting a job at Mifune-Leonhard, Jacques worked for Anthony “Tony” Smalls, a local crime lord in Atlantas. He worked as a contract killer and as a personal bodyguard to the Don. It was Tony that suggested Jacques get a job as a merc and provided him with a means to do so (as the mob boss had several connections in Mifune-Leonhard). The two are on very good terms.
Heinrich Leonhard, Co-CEO of Mifune-Leonhard, is on particularity good terms with Jacques. Whenever Heinrich needed a job done that he didn't want anyone to know about he came to Jacques. He has cleaned out his bosses closet more than a few times.
(Note: I've already modified this several times, mostly for ease of reading and continuity. Hopefully this is the final product, however things may change. Nothing major will change, however minor details may be altered, added, or omitted over the course of the next week.)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Maria Latham, Gun Toting Martian
A former infantry member of the CPH Defense Force, Maria Latham's employment was terminated following a public SNAFU on her home-world of Mars several years ago. Finding employment afterward became difficult leading her to a series of mind-numbingly boring security details which she continued with despite offers to join a morally-flexible mercenary outfit made up of former DF members. Eventually, her hard work paid off and she was recruited for a six month stint body-guarding a minor celebrity. The job lasted four weeks, two weeks later Maria woke up unemployed with a couple of "new and improved" organs. For the last year, Maria's kept her head down and her mouth shut about past events. Though the Rubato is her first transport vessel protection detail, she's been there for two months and looks forward to ignoring new recruits. However, she makes it crystal clear upon meeting you that if you're into anything illegal, she doesn't want to know about it and you sure as heck don't want her knowing about it.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Introducing Zechs Marquise
Zechs Marquise (Zeks Mar-kee) has been a professional salvager since he was 16 years old. During his 5 year career, by taking on the most dangerous jobs in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, he has earned enough to buy his own mecha, the Tallgeese. Though Zechs has little formal education, he has managed to get by on his wits and willingness to take risks. This combination of abilities and equipment has earned him a lucrative contract on the Rubato. He looks forward to working with the crew of the Rubato, some of whom he's worked with on other ships and missions.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
In the news...
Text of proposed legislation SR2290ZA12893 presented to the Martian Office of Colonial Affairs, for review of the Full Senate.
Submitted by Marcus Lehman, MP Concordia and Sin Jhou-Xiayn, MP Etrusca, Technoprogressive Party
Such that cloning technology has provided the means to incubate fully formed non-cloned bodies for individuals, and such that flash imprinting allows for the incorporation of an individual’s meta-intelligence onto these bodies, this legislation will allow for the creation of ‘adults’ utilizing randomizing algorithms and recombination techniques against current neural maps wile selecting against predatory and anti-social behavior. In this way, fully functioning members of society can be introduced to fulfill the needs of society without the painful, and wasted time of childhood distracting capital and labor of society.
This legislation is the next logical step in allowing for parents to avoid the pain and suffering of natural childbirth, and the loss in productivity inherent in raising children.
Opposition commentary by Francois Bertand, MP New Caladoina, Democratic Union Party
Developmental neurophysiologists have clearly demonstrated a link between the process of childhood and the development of an individuals unique neural – map that defines who and what they are. To imagine that this process can be any way replicated by some sort of randomizing algorithm coupled with requirements toward certain ‘desirable’ mental states is absolute madness. What the proponents of this legislation are proposing is nothing less than the development of socially acceptable zombies who will service the ruling caste in their pre-programmed manner. We cannot allow legislation like this to be passed.
Submitted by Marcus Lehman, MP Concordia and Sin Jhou-Xiayn, MP Etrusca, Technoprogressive Party
Such that cloning technology has provided the means to incubate fully formed non-cloned bodies for individuals, and such that flash imprinting allows for the incorporation of an individual’s meta-intelligence onto these bodies, this legislation will allow for the creation of ‘adults’ utilizing randomizing algorithms and recombination techniques against current neural maps wile selecting against predatory and anti-social behavior. In this way, fully functioning members of society can be introduced to fulfill the needs of society without the painful, and wasted time of childhood distracting capital and labor of society.
This legislation is the next logical step in allowing for parents to avoid the pain and suffering of natural childbirth, and the loss in productivity inherent in raising children.
Opposition commentary by Francois Bertand, MP New Caladoina, Democratic Union Party
Developmental neurophysiologists have clearly demonstrated a link between the process of childhood and the development of an individuals unique neural – map that defines who and what they are. To imagine that this process can be any way replicated by some sort of randomizing algorithm coupled with requirements toward certain ‘desirable’ mental states is absolute madness. What the proponents of this legislation are proposing is nothing less than the development of socially acceptable zombies who will service the ruling caste in their pre-programmed manner. We cannot allow legislation like this to be passed.
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