[Game Thread] Round 4 - Qiksilv, squirmonkey

[Bhelogan]

A Long Slumber Inside the 'Crew Cabin', David gave a very heartwarming speach to the two aliens who were waking up after being in cryostasis for an unknown length of time. Sam had just finished setting up the translator for David when the pods had opened and didn't have time to make his way back to the Vultuer A just yet. Both the tall alien, and the shorter one looked a little dazed and confused, as would be expected, but listened to the counselor's words, taking everything in. True to David's words, they took a look around and saw that the other cryopods had failed, and they were the only ones left. They didn't seem to concerned about this though. When David finished, the human-looking alien looked up at the taller thinner one, looking for a queue on how to proceed. The taller one smiled, as he looked back, and uttered one world. "Earthlings" Both aliens started to laugh, as they started to punch something in on the keypad of a gadget they each had on their wrists. Sam could tell that these were some kind of communication devices, much like the ones they used. They must have been dialing up a human translation package of their own, that somehow they were familiar with. "What do the earthlings think extra-terrestrials always say?" the young woman alien said, her tone sounded sassy and immature, like a teenager with a mean streak. "Oh yea... Take me to your leader! Right? Is that it?" "Now, let's be nice to our guests Issa," the taller alien said. While frozen he looked an awful lot like a Nolrithian. Now that he was awake, and David and Samuel could get a good look at him, they noticed that he wasn't quite as tall as their friendly associates, and had a very different bone structure in his limbs and extremities. "You keep these two entertained for a moment, find out how they got here. I'll make sure everything on the bridge is operational." He stepped out the doorway and hit a control button that caused the panels, previously forced open by Sherman, to close. A light changed color over, indicating that it was locked. A moment later, Samuel and David could hear Wally, Lt. Pearson, and Ienn being escorted off the ship. Issa was unconcerned by the ruckus and sat down on the edge of one of the damaged cryopods. Even if she didn't have horns, Issa's long features made her look like an elf from a fantasy book, and would never be confused for a full-blooded human. "Mraak will be back soon. So, earthlings, David and Samuel, yea? You have no clue what this ship is, or how it got here, right? But I'm curious, how did YOU get here? I've never heard of an Earthling being away from Earth, unless they were selected for research." Issa eyed the two humans, waiting for a response. She wasn't about to give out any answers until she had some herself.

OOGM Welcome to the Final Round of Outplay 2023! Typically, this round is a mechanics-free open RP round, often involving characters from several different types of systems. That is not the case this year. All of The Outplay System rev 2023 rules are in play. However, the only objectives will be those set by yourselves. Your post deadline is Tuesday, August 15th at 9 am EST.

[squirmonkey]

 

Try to learn what this alien knows. Where/when is it from, and what are its intentions, by using You can use your Humanity to discern the true meaning behind someone's words or deeds.How Does That Make You Feel to learn the true meaning behind its words just now, and in whatever response it may give to David after my post.

Dice Humanity + Counselor + How does that make you feel:

3d6

1, 1, 6

Total = 8

Successes: 1

[squirmonkey]

Loosing the Leash The door slid closed, and David's fists curled shut behind his back along with it. Tension rose up his arms, pulling his shoulders back and pursing his lips. But his anger froze when it reached his ice-blue eyes and did not betray itself to his new enemy. This alien had locked him and Samuel into a room. It had laughed at his offer of kindness, disingenuous though the offer had been. There would be no second chance for that kindness. He was ready to unleash his anger, but he didn't. Not yet. He needed to know what this alien knew, and the best way to do that was to keep it talking. The aliens had calibrated translators of their own. He wouldn't need Sam's suit to communicate with them anymore. As Sam crossed his mind David felt that when they got out of here, Sam would need a reality check. Letting these aliens wake up had been naïve. Furious, David reminded himself that if there was one thing that had been constant throughout his life and career, it was that he put Humanity first and that others never seemed to do the same. He would learn these aliens' purpose, and put Humanity first again no matter the cost. "I'm sorry" he began, hoping to put the amused alien off-balance "But it is you who are our guests. Humans have not lived on Earth for dozens of generations." David glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sam as he delivered this half-truth. "You have been asleep, it seems, even longer than you believed. Hundreds of our standard years, at least. Tell us of your home, your world, your customs. Perhaps we have encountered them in our vast travels, and can help you with our knowledge of how things have changed since you went to sleep." In hindsight, David felt he Only one successshould have stopped there, but his rage was not content to be locked away in his heart and hands and throat, and it wormed its way along his tongue toward the alien. "Be grateful that we make you this offer after you have treated us so unkindly. To try to seal us in here, to mock us, after we have done you the goodness of awaking you shows a disrespect to which we will not stoop." David realized then that he'd gone too far, and needed to bring himself back under control. To sate his fury he spat his conclusion through gritted teeth. "You are our guests, rude or otherwise." David awaited Issa's response with a clenched jaw. He feared he would have gotten her to say more if he had not worn his emotions so visibly. Still, whether she answered his questions or not he hoped his Using my ability How Does That Make You Feelkeen sense for what people hide behind their faces would tell him at least as much about her intentions as he had revealed of his own.

OOC Summary: Action: Try to learn more about the alien's plans with How Does That Make You Feel. Lose my temper a little. 1 Success   CN: 2 Job: Ship's Counselor. Attend to the mental health of the crew. Advise ship leaders and decision-makers on matters regarding crew morale and interactions with third parties. Help mitigate the stresses of long-distance space travel. How Does That Make You Feel - You can use your Humanity to discern the true meaning behind someone's words or deeds. Put Down Your Phone - You can use your Technology to disable a machine that is hurting somebody. Have You Tried Meditating On That - You can use your Humanity to still intense emotions or aggression in others by speaking calmly to them. Flags: - Use Counselor Albright as an opportunity to reveal what hides beneath the surface of your character. Share what scares you. Share what you hope for. Share what Humanity means to you. Ask what Humanity means to me. - Talk to me about politics, mine or yours. - Gossip about the fiasco at the debate, with me or behind my back

[Qiksilv]

Checking In As David gave his introductory speech, Samuel Adams stared at the pad on his arm so he could be ready to adjust the matrix as soon as the aliens began to reply. That is until they gave a chuckle and clearly said, “Earthlings.” That was unexpected. He looked up, the matrix forgotten, and began to drink in the details of these aliens. They pressed buttons on a keypad much like his, their interpreted speech and movements were not exactly threatening but were not friendly either. The taller one, Mraak, walked past Sam and he just watched the newly thawed alien exit the room towards the bridge. The thought of shouting a warning didn’t occur to him at the moment as there still had not been anything to indicate hostile intent yet. When the door to the chamber shut and locked Sam felt like he was coming out of a shocked state. The sounds of his companions, who had destroyed two automated droids, being ushered off the ship was the tipping point for the Earthling. Issa’s habits might be conversational but the overall situation was definitely dangerous. He turned to share a glance at David, hoping the other man understood and was glad to see that behind his glasses the Counselor had a dangerous glint in his eyes. Sam, who would not have known the anger was directed at him, merely nodded at the gentleman, encouraging him to speak on their behalf to Issa. Sam had always been taught to value Human life. The more 'Human' the better. Most Earth natives had a sense of superiority over the others of their own species who needed implanted enhancements to be better. To one degree or another, most lifeforms ended up being clumped together as either 'Earthling', or 'Not Earthling". If Wally had not been such an impressive Wrencher he may have fallen into the 'other' category due to his mods. So why now, when he had been face to face with things that were not even remotely Human, had he spoken up on their behalf? Because even if they weren't Human they were still alive. He had spent too many years saving lives from mechanical misfortune to not at least try to help. Plus, he was pretty sure Piper would have killed him if he hadn’t at least tried to be nice. Though he was rapidly beginning to think that giving them the benefit of the doubt had been a poor option. Issa’s final statement worried Sam, “You have no clue what this ship is, or how it got here, right?” It seemed to imply that the ship’s purpose and/or the reason it had been lost to time on the planet should have been a warning for the Humans. Going back through the ship's logs had been on Sam’s list but, sadly, had slipped priority when Sherman had accidentally triggered the wake-up sequence. Though now the Enigneer was regretting not using the opportunity to learn a little about the aliens before they woke up. The other thing that concerned Sam? His companions on the bridge had been ushered out and Mraak had stated he was going to take control of the ship. What were his intentions? The Engineer could recall installing his group as crew members and Sam was kicking himself internally for not removing all the other names while he was at it. Perhaps it was not too late. As David emphatically told off Issa for her and Mraak’s rudeness, Sam tried to turn inconspicuously and face a panel in the room. Removing crew permission would be much easier from a Bridge terminal, and with Ienn’s help, but all Sam had was his wrist pad. He had already managed to use it to translate an unknown language, it was time to see just what else he could get it to do. ”Keep it up, Counselor,” He thought to himself as he tried to restrict the access of the two gambits he had tried to welcome back to life.

Summary Flag: Actions: CN:3 Trying to Get Issa and Mraak removed from the Crew list Rolls CN=3 1d – Basic 1d – Job – Engineer (To access and adjust standard ship systems) 1d – Skill – “Oh, it’ll fit…” (To use his wrist pad in conjunction with the ship terminal) Dice Access Denied! – Technology – CN3: 3d6sml4 3 ✔, 5 ✘, 3 ✔ (2/3) Total = 11 Successes = 4 (2 crits)

 

Stat Block Name: Samuel Adams Origin: Earthling CN: 3 Job: Engineer Engineers are all about making things work when they don’t and keeping things that are working from breaking. He needs to be able to spot problems and figure out solutions. As an engineer in a hard-to-reach area, his job also includes a fair amount of improvisation to make things work when the right parts and tools are unavailable. He has long practiced the inflections needed to get assistance with what he is working on; sometimes an engineer needs three hands. Specialized Skills: Hey! Hold this. Using Humanity, he can get almost anyone to give him a hand with a task. Oh, it’ll fit. Using Technology, he can make a tool, part, or machine do something it wasn’t designed to do. There’s your problem. Using Humanity, he can quickly assess flaws by watching and listening to notice the inconsistencies. Description: Samuel is slightly less than middle age and rather non-descript. He is frequently covered in dust and grease from being in and around machines. His light brown hair almost matches his skin and eyes. He had some bulk to his muscles from years of working with large machines and heavy parts. There is also little fat on his frame because few in the outpost have the resources to waste on extraneous eating, and he is not one of them. The engineer is serious more often than not, decades of dealing with emergencies have made him always expect one to arise, usually at an inopportune moment. He has been known to smile and even laugh on occasion when he does get a slow moment with his comrades. Being one of the lead engineers at his complex has also imbued him with confidence, though not to the point of boasting, he is merely self-assured.

 

Character Write-up Samuel Adams was born and raised on Earth; the near wasteland that humans called their birthplace. The Outpost was called Comsotown since it was founded by CosmoTonne. The company was on the brink of closing its doors and the outpost was the same. There had been some talks about becoming independent but the demand for Earth materials was shrinking as the technology for mining on asteroids got better so profit margins were dipping dangerously low. There was a rumor that Compretech had solicited an offer, but the contract specified a percentage of the annual gross that must be spent on cybernetic upgrades. They had made the same offer to Asteroid Gamma-47-8B a decade ago, the rumors were that the company offered loans in some cases and discounts in others when ‘participants’ were willing to try newer, experimental products. As such Cosotown was not very excited by this offer. The small habitat ring housed a few dozen families that serviced the greater North American continent and were home to 23% of the Humans, robots, and machines that remained on Earth. Being one of the last remnants on a dying planet did not make for a glamorous upbringing. Like most earthlings, he was made to start working young. It was the best way to keep kids out of trouble since there were not a lot of things to do in the ramshackle working colonies that existed in the home world. Sidereal did not have much hold in Cosmotown, most of the entertainment came from scavenged data chips from a century ago (sometimes discs from even longer ago if they were preserved well enough). Samuel’s family were engineers, so he was too. They worked at keeping the machines going that maintained the clean air and water for the outpost they lived in and also helped keep the many mining rigs going so the planet could be effectively strip-mined. Samuel had a good head for it and quickly became known for his effectiveness. Yet, the young man longed to see more than the grey/brown skies and wanted to get off the planet that he was born on. So when word of an application to be on the newest voyage reached Earth he eagerly filled one out. There was not a lot of chance that an Earthling who had never been in space before would get in but that only made it all the more exciting when he was chosen. His community mourned their loss of a talented individual but wished him luck anyway and he set off on the first cargo ship he could buy a seat on.

Flags Samuel has a hundred uses for a 14.5mm wrench; none of which are officially sanctioned by Cosmotool. He has also developed quite a grudge at the corporations that raised a profit on mining by under-budgeting for needed repairs, required maintenance, and due upgrades. Samuel is fully human and proud of it. While he appreciates the craftsmanship, he thinks non-necessary bionic upgrades trivialize what it means to be human, finds it hard to trust creations with silicone brains the size of walnuts, and finds aliens…too alien (not that he had met any).

[Bhelogan]

Part of the crew? David did his best to distract Issa, while Samuel dug into what he could with the panel inside the crew chambers. "A long time you say.... yea, that fits with what I see here," Issa responded to David's first revelation. "Hey, listen four-eyes! That's what they call people with glasses on Earth, right? Mraak is watching out for OUR safety. We don't know who is on the ship, or what safeguards might be active. You see neither of us, or any of the other others..." she said pointing to the other cryopods, "were exactly on board this ship by our own volition. So Excuuuuuusssseee Us, if we take a moment to figure things out for ourselves, rather than just blindly trust the Earthlings, especially when one is trying to distract me." Issa leaned sideways to peek at what Samuel was doing. Meanwhile, Samual was having some luck logging into the crew list, having already had some experience doing it. He scanned the names there, noticed those whom he had added, and a few other much older entries. Issa and Mraak were not on the list. He searched for their names, and found them in a different ledger, one listed as targets. Moreover, next to each was a listed value in an old currency that he had only heard the Norlithians mention as being valued amount some traders in far-off galaxies. The Target list had a dozen names in it, with all but two having the status listed as 'Apprehended'. It didn't take an Engineer to put the pieces of the puzzle together. This was a bounty hunter's vessel and the two aliens that had just been released had the highest listed value of any of the criminals they were hunting. Issa nearly fell backward off the pod she was sitting on as the ship suddenly lifted up in the air. Its engines had roared to life, leaving Samuel confused as to how Mraak was able to take control of the ship when he wasn't listed as a passenger. A second later, the door to the crew cabin opened, and Mraak was calling for everyone's attention. "All hands to the bridge! This stupid ship turned on some kind of autopilot as soon as I touched a console. I'm going to need you two to figure out how to shut it off!" Issa looked terrified at the revelation. "Autopilot! We don't even know if the bird's hull has a leak. Even if it doesn't, the star charts on file are going to be so old, it will probably send us flying right through a star!"

OOGM The ship is in the air, and will be leaving the planet's atmosphere at the end of this round, unless you are able to stop it. How you do that is up to you. Or not, you could just try and make sure it's 'space worthy'. Your post deadline is Wednesday, August 16th at 9 am EST.

[Qiksilv]

Who you calling stupid, Stupid? "He wasn’t merely a distraction, Issa," Sam grunted as the console revealed its knowledge to him, "He was speaking truth to you. This planet you have awoken on is now ours." The Engineer turned to face the horned bounty, "We found this ship and could have easily shot you through the head before you thawed but decided to play nice despite the fact that we didn’t know who you were. It was a Human courtesy that I am beginning to think we ought to have kept to ourselves." Sam turned to David, "I don’t think we need to be too worried about them taking the ship, David. They aren’t the crew; they are the cargo. Bounties to be exact. Though it doesn't say for what." Despite his words he did not take his eyes off of Issa and muttered, "Should have just locked them in here with Ieen, then all the inconveniences would have been in the same place." The aliens may not be able to control the ship without adding themselves to the register but it had only taken one of them to rid the bridge of three Humans and an android so they were still dangerous. Evidenced rather immediately by Mraak’s call for aid in the bridge. "I see your friend is strong but also incompetent," he quipped at Issa as he turned to the now open door. Sam could feel his stomach tighten, a possible sign that the Internal Dampeners were struggling, but he moved as quickly as he could to the bridge and then stopped to absorb the situation. Frankly, he was amazed they hadn’t blown up yet. Hopefully whatever superficial work Wally had been able to do before being removed was enough to keep complete disaster from happening for a little longer. "Stupid ship!?" Hollered the engineer from where he stood in the doorway. The protective mask of his RIG made it difficult to read his features from a distance but if the translator could pick up on Issa being a snarky adolescent then it ought to be able to pick up on Sam being an irate crew chief. "The two of you are registered as Bounties on this vessel. A fact that I could have told you if you had bothered to ask instead of trying to assume command yourselves. Did you think the ship would just let you take over? It’s probably using a safeguard to take you back to base in case a bounty managed to commandeer the vessel. The ship is not the stupid one in this scenario. If you need a clue, go find a mirror in the crew quarters, that’ll show you the idiots!" Sam stomped forward, the clunk from his heavy boots on the plating louder than normal. What Issa had realized was the exact same concern that he and Wally had debated over not long ago. There had been no time to do any sort of deep scan on the hull, a good amount of it had been underground at the time, and doing a full pressure test can’t be done with personnel inside the craft, so whether this ship would sail in the void or sink was still a very real concern. Despite his misgivings about the alien’s intelligence and integrity, he was a Wrencher first and foremost and right now there were at least four individuals who needed aid to avoid a death by mechanical mishap; even if it had been instigated by operator error. The engineer quickly approached the terminal he had used to access the security systems before and started barking to the others, "I’m willing to bet that at least one of you is a better pilot than I am. Since I’m not in the mood to end up as a chicken nugget in the atmosphere I’m going to remove the restricted status to one of you. You won’t be crew but at least you won’t trigger the safety protocol. Get over to Navigation and try and steer this hunk of junk back to the ground before something explodes." Sam operated the security protocols as fast as he could to disengage what he assumed was an RTB safety (Return To Base). There was a part of him that struggled to accept he was really giving them this sort of control over the ship but at the moment he didn’t see a way around it. To prevent these two from fully taking over, Sam also looked for a way to automatically reinstate the safety; searching for words like ‘timer’, ‘proximity’, or ‘revert’. It would be nice to have some sort of safeguard against these two forcing control.

Summary Flag: Dropped hints to David that Sam might also not be completely fond of 'non-Humans' Actions: CN:3 Trying to Get Issa or Mraak removed from the Bounty list so they can help pilot the ship back to the ground. Also hoping to install a timer so they only have so long to do so before the RTB function reactivates Rolls CN=3 1d – Basic 1d – Job – Engineer (To access and adjust standard ship systems) 1d – Skill – “Hey! Hold This!” (Getting help to pilot the ship) Dice roller error: [dice=Please play nice - Humanity – CN3]3d6smh3 = 945738199 [/dice] is a badly formed tag (please see the FAQ for help) Successes = 3 (one crit, one success)

 

Stat Block Name: Samuel Adams Origin: Earthling CN: 3 Job: Engineer Engineers are all about making things work when they don’t and keeping things that are working from breaking. He needs to be able to spot problems and figure out solutions. As an engineer in a hard-to-reach area, his job also includes a fair amount of improvisation to make things work when the right parts and tools are unavailable. He has long practiced the inflections needed to get assistance with what he is working on; sometimes an engineer needs three hands. Specialized Skills: Hey! Hold this. Using Humanity, he can get almost anyone to give him a hand with a task. Oh, it’ll fit. Using Technology, he can make a tool, part, or machine do something it wasn’t designed to do. There’s your problem. Using Humanity, he can quickly assess flaws by watching and listening to notice the inconsistencies. Description: Samuel is slightly less than middle age and rather non-descript. He is frequently covered in dust and grease from being in and around machines. His light brown hair almost matches his skin and eyes. He had some bulk to his muscles from years of working with large machines and heavy parts. There is also little fat on his frame because few in the outpost have the resources to waste on extraneous eating, and he is not one of them. The engineer is serious more often than not, decades of dealing with emergencies have made him always expect one to arise, usually at an inopportune moment. He has been known to smile and even laugh on occasion when he does get a slow moment with his comrades. Being one of the lead engineers at his complex has also imbued him with confidence, though not to the point of boasting, he is merely self-assured.

 

Character Write-up Samuel Adams was born and raised on Earth; the near wasteland that humans called their birthplace. The Outpost was called Comsotown since it was founded by CosmoTonne. The company was on the brink of closing its doors and the outpost was the same. There had been some talks about becoming independent but the demand for Earth materials was shrinking as the technology for mining on asteroids got better so profit margins were dipping dangerously low. There was a rumor that Compretech had solicited an offer, but the contract specified a percentage of the annual gross that must be spent on cybernetic upgrades. They had made the same offer to Asteroid Gamma-47-8B a decade ago, the rumors were that the company offered loans in some cases and discounts in others when ‘participants’ were willing to try newer, experimental products. As such Cosotown was not very excited by this offer. The small habitat ring housed a few dozen families that serviced the greater North American continent and were home to 23% of the Humans, robots, and machines that remained on Earth. Being one of the last remnants on a dying planet did not make for a glamorous upbringing. Like most earthlings, he was made to start working young. It was the best way to keep kids out of trouble since there were not a lot of things to do in the ramshackle working colonies that existed in the home world. Sidereal did not have much hold in Cosmotown, most of the entertainment came from scavenged data chips from a century ago (sometimes discs from even longer ago if they were preserved well enough). Samuel’s family were engineers, so he was too. They worked at keeping the machines going that maintained the clean air and water for the outpost they lived in and also helped keep the many mining rigs going so the planet could be effectively strip-mined. Samuel had a good head for it and quickly became known for his effectiveness. Yet, the young man longed to see more than the grey/brown skies and wanted to get off the planet that he was born on. So when word of an application to be on the newest voyage reached Earth he eagerly filled one out. There was not a lot of chance that an Earthling who had never been in space before would get in but that only made it all the more exciting when he was chosen. His community mourned their loss of a talented individual but wished him luck anyway and he set off on the first cargo ship he could buy a seat on.

Flags Samuel has a hundred uses for a 14.5mm wrench; none of which are officially sanctioned by Cosmotool. He has also developed quite a grudge at the corporations that raised a profit on mining by under-budgeting for needed repairs, required maintenance, and due upgrades. Samuel is fully human and proud of it. While he appreciates the craftsmanship, he thinks non-necessary bionic upgrades trivialize what it means to be human, finds it hard to trust creations with silicone brains the size of walnuts, and finds aliens…too alien (not that he had met any).

Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.

[squirmonkey]

 

Fake a panic attack as an excuse to slip away and search the ship for a weapon.

Dice Humanity + Counselor:

2d6

1, 2

Total = 3

Successes: 2

[squirmonkey]

Human Trifecta Captured criminals. So "Prison" had been the correct translation of the label on this door after all. This information changed the danger of this situation. David had thought these aliens might try to enforce some agenda as a species, perhaps claiming the planet as their own. But now he realized the true threat was simply that these were dangerous individuals, wanted for crimes committed in an age long past. And just as these bounties were looking out for their own safety, David needed to shift his priorities to focus on how to defend himself and Samuel from the direct threat these criminals now posed. Sam was starting to let his own anger out, and that suited David perfectly at this moment. He followed behind Sam and Issa as they hurried to the bridge. It was as Mraak had described, the ship was rocketing into the sky. That made this the perfect opportunity for David to slip away and start working on creating an advantage for himself. He just needed to lean into what Issa and Mraak already believed about him, that he was stupid, weak, and useless. A panic attack should do the trick, and David had seen more than enough to know how they looked. He hastened his breathing as he stared out at the world blurring past the main viewport of the bridge. He moved his right hand to his hairline to wipe away sweat not actually present. "Oh- Oh no... it's taking off? We can't... I'm not... I'm not cut out for this!" He staggered backward, leaning into the metal doorframe. "I'm just a diplomat! I knew I shouldn't have come here! Uuhhhhh" David hoped that Sam would catch that small detail, 'Diplomat' rather than 'Counselor', and understand what David was trying to do. But he had no chance to communicate with Sam in more detail. David went running out of the bridge, head in his hands. He kept them there until he was Two successesfar enough from the bridge to avoid notice. Then it was time for the real plan to begin. Learning that these aliens were the targets of bounties had told David more than that they were dangerous. It also told him this ship had likely belonged to bounty hunters. And a ship belonging to bounty hunters was certain to have weapons somewhere on board. David needed to find one, and quickly. Even if the aliens thought David was stupid, David did not dare to assume the same of them. His ruse would not postpone a confrontation long. When that confrontation came, David intended to meet it fully armed and do himself what he'd been too weak to do before the debate. He scurried between the rooms, searching for anything that might contain weapons. A room that looked like it might be an armory or ready room or even just some sort of storage area. He pulled open lockers and tore through crates, searching high and low for any weapon that might give him an edge in the fight he planned to pick.

OOC Summary: Action: Slip away by faking a panic attack to go search the ship for a weapon. Two Successes with Humanity + Ship's Counselor.   CN: 2 Job: Ship's Counselor. Attend to the mental health of the crew. Advise ship leaders and decision-makers on matters regarding crew morale and interactions with third parties. Help mitigate the stresses of long-distance space travel. How Does That Make You Feel - You can use your Humanity to discern the true meaning behind someone's words or deeds. Put Down Your Phone - You can use your Technology to disable a machine that is hurting somebody. Have You Tried Meditating On That - You can use your Humanity to still intense emotions or aggression in others by speaking calmly to them. Flags: - Use Counselor Albright as an opportunity to reveal what hides beneath the surface of your character. Share what scares you. Share what you hope for. Share what Humanity means to you. Ask what Humanity means to me. - Talk to me about politics, mine or yours. - Gossip about the fiasco at the debate, with me or behind my back

[Bhelogan]

Misguided Spacecraft Issa got a kick out of Samuel stating something perhaps obvious to her about Mraak's competence. She wasn't so pleased when being called an idiot herself. "Hey listen, we don't want your planet, nothing like that. Thanks for waking us up and all, but we really don't have a good reason to trust you just yet." Samuel offered to give ONE of the two criminals control of the flight system, which Mraak volunteered to drive. "Steady she goes. I haven't flown this thing before, but I know the controls." Given access he steadied the ship to hover in place. "Looks like the landing legs are stuck, or broken off when this ship crashed. There isn't going to be an easy way to set her down on the ground." Just then, David had a panic attack. "Where is four-eyes going?" Issa asked, as she left the bridge to chase after him. David didn't have far to go, the ship wasn't that big, to the engineering room where he found a cabinet that had stored the security droids they had dealt with earlier. There was a rack next to the droid storage that looked like it was meant for weapons. Most of them were gone, but there were two rods left that had electric nodes on the end of them. David could surmise that they were used to stun organic targets or disable droids, in order to incapacitate them without causing serious harm. He grabbed one of the rods, and turned to see Issa catching up with him. "Careful now, you don't want to do anything you would regret," Issa responded as she took a step back with one foot. Mraak turned around in his chair to face Samuel. "I hope your friend isn't going to try any tricks," Mraak quipped. "Issa may not look like much, but stories say she killed a dozen guards at once, while unarmed." Mraak wasn't too concerned about what was happening on the rear of the ship. He figured Issa could take care of herself, he wouldn't have left her with the two humans alone earlier were that not the case. He was worried about what would come next though. "Perhaps, before we go any further, we should come to an understanding. Issa and I, we are not interested in you, or this planet. What we do want is a ship that can get us back to our homes. Sensors are reading two ships in orbit could do the job. Why don't we see, if you care to take the comms yourself if one of them could give us a lift?"

OOGM The bounty hunter ship is in a holding position, and according to Mraak, not capable of landing in its current state. David is cornered in the back of the ship, but he has a weapon. Your post deadline is Thursday, August 17th at 9 am EST.

[Qiksilv]

Who you calling stupid, Stupid? Trust. Most will quote the old adage, “It’s not given; it’s earned.” However, that is a general rule; there are exceptions. In this instance, two parties who have never met before are at an impasse. They can bestow some trust and work together or deny trust and destroy each other. As Mraak and Issa each speak of how they have no reason to trust the Humans, Sam contemplates whether he should trust the aliens. On one side, they had been intimidating and were obviously foolish. On the other, they had not done any actual harm (yet) and seemed to be cooperating, for now. Issa may have left the bridge but Sam assumed that Mraak shared her sentiments, "Your friend didn’t see any reason to trust us but I don’t see why you wouldn’t. First off, you are alive. Second, you aren’t in chains. Third, none of us have shown any sort of hostility to you." He grunted as he recalled Mraak warning about David playing “tricks”. "You shouldn’t worry too much about him. He is a talker; a face. That’s why we had him talk to you when you thawed. As I understand it he was even in charge of writing a draft for the rules of our new colony here so he most likely has a level head and good judgment." Sam chuckled awkwardly. He’d only known the guy for How long has it been since we got on the Vulture?2 hours o he was doing a lot of guesswork on the Counselor's character. "The man told me earlier he’s never even used a weapon and his mechanical skills are; well, let’s say limited. As long as you don’t back him into a corner I don’t think he’ll be an issue. " As Sam remained blissfully ignorant of David’s true beliefs and current phycological trajectory he listened as Mraak got down to business. "Don’t take this the wrong way but I’m not interested in you either. There are some of us who would love to experience a new species but my personal interest waned when you tried to lock me in a room and started pushing buttons you weren’t supposed to. So I am all for getting you the hell off this rock and away from me before you cause any more problems, intentional or not." It would not have occurred to Sam but if things kept progressing the way they were he might end up being a friend to Mraak. Well, as much of a friend as Bob was at least. The poor first impression, the very non-Human features, and the fact he had likely been a bounty for a good reason were the key items that would impede a good relationship. However, the tall alien seemed to have an even temperament and had gotten straight to the point; both things Sam valued in an acquaintance. The Engineer got up and walked to the Comm station, "How about I make you a deal?" He sat and began to press buttons on the screen. "This ship is not going into space, we’ve agreed on that already, and if it’s not going up then it has to come down. So we might as well drop it where I can actually fix it. The deal is, you fly us East towards our colony and when we get close I’ll link the comms so you can speak with one of the two ships." Sam was offering trust, but would it be returned or would Mraak refuse and further complicate their lives? "Just take it slow so we don't over-tax the engines."

Summary Notes: Bhel said that the dice problems in the previous post were likely a bug since there were no obvious errors with the bb-code. Here. I kept the rolls in post since I always edited the formatting in the Roll posts of previous rounds anyway. I'm assuming that there is no roll needed for this as it was RP-orientated. However, I have included rolls in case that was a fallacious assumption. Actions: Sam want to broker a deal. Mraak will pilot the ship to the colony and he will open comms to get Mraak and Issa offworld. If Mraak agrees then once they are underway Sam will begin to hail the Nolrithians and ask for Pam since Piper has mentioned him before.   1d - Basic 1d - Engineer (to use comms. This would not apply for the appeal to cooperate) CN=3 - Humanity Dice Let's be...Friends?: 2d6smh3 3 ✔, 6 ✔ (2/2) Total = 9

 

Stat Block Name: Samuel Adams Origin: Earthling CN: 3 Job: Engineer Engineers are all about making things work when they don’t and keeping things that are working from breaking. He needs to be able to spot problems and figure out solutions. As an engineer in a hard-to-reach area, his job also includes a fair amount of improvisation to make things work when the right parts and tools are unavailable. He has long practiced the inflections needed to get assistance with what he is working on; sometimes an engineer needs three hands. Specialized Skills: Hey! Hold this. Using Humanity, he can get almost anyone to give him a hand with a task. Oh, it’ll fit. Using Technology, he can make a tool, part, or machine do something it wasn’t designed to do. There’s your problem. Using Humanity, he can quickly assess flaws by watching and listening to notice the inconsistencies. Description: Samuel is slightly less than middle age and rather non-descript. He is frequently covered in dust and grease from being in and around machines. His light brown hair almost matches his skin and eyes. He had some bulk to his muscles from years of working with large machines and heavy parts. There is also little fat on his frame because few in the outpost have the resources to waste on extraneous eating, and he is not one of them. The engineer is serious more often than not, decades of dealing with emergencies have made him always expect one to arise, usually at an inopportune moment. He has been known to smile and even laugh on occasion when he does get a slow moment with his comrades. Being one of the lead engineers at his complex has also imbued him with confidence, though not to the point of boasting, he is merely self-assured.

 

Character Write-up Samuel Adams was born and raised on Earth; the near wasteland that humans called their birthplace. The Outpost was called Comsotown since it was founded by CosmoTonne. The company was on the brink of closing its doors and the outpost was the same. There had been some talks about becoming independent but the demand for Earth materials was shrinking as the technology for mining on asteroids got better so profit margins were dipping dangerously low. There was a rumor that Compretech had solicited an offer, but the contract specified a percentage of the annual gross that must be spent on cybernetic upgrades. They had made the same offer to Asteroid Gamma-47-8B a decade ago, the rumors were that the company offered loans in some cases and discounts in others when ‘participants’ were willing to try newer, experimental products. As such Cosotown was not very excited by this offer. The small habitat ring housed a few dozen families that serviced the greater North American continent and were home to 23% of the Humans, robots, and machines that remained on Earth. Being one of the last remnants on a dying planet did not make for a glamorous upbringing. Like most earthlings, he was made to start working young. It was the best way to keep kids out of trouble since there were not a lot of things to do in the ramshackle working colonies that existed in the home world. Sidereal did not have much hold in Cosmotown, most of the entertainment came from scavenged data chips from a century ago (sometimes discs from even longer ago if they were preserved well enough). Samuel’s family were engineers, so he was too. They worked at keeping the machines going that maintained the clean air and water for the outpost they lived in and also helped keep the many mining rigs going so the planet could be effectively strip-mined. Samuel had a good head for it and quickly became known for his effectiveness. Yet, the young man longed to see more than the grey/brown skies and wanted to get off the planet that he was born on. So when word of an application to be on the newest voyage reached Earth he eagerly filled one out. There was not a lot of chance that an Earthling who had never been in space before would get in but that only made it all the more exciting when he was chosen. His community mourned their loss of a talented individual but wished him luck anyway and he set off on the first cargo ship he could buy a seat on.

Flags Samuel has a hundred uses for a 14.5mm wrench; none of which are officially sanctioned by Cosmotool. He has also developed quite a grudge at the corporations that raised a profit on mining by under-budgeting for needed repairs, required maintenance, and due upgrades. Samuel is fully human and proud of it. While he appreciates the craftsmanship, he thinks non-necessary bionic upgrades trivialize what it means to be human, finds it hard to trust creations with silicone brains the size of walnuts, and finds aliens…too alien (not that he had met any).

[squirmonkey]

 

So... about 'as long as you don't back him into a corner'...

Humanity to attack Issa with the new-found weapon

Dice Humanity to attack:

1d6

4

Successes: 1

[squirmonkey]

Exodus Exitus Mraak's warning had likely been both valid and well-reasoned, but David was too far away to hear it and now he was in trouble. Issa had followed him in spite of his efforts to be beneath notice. She was paranoid. What other reason could she have had to follow him? This Issa was the type to see threats in everyone she encountered, not one to readily trust others. And that was exactly why David couldn't put his weapon down. Never mind that she had been right about David's plan, the mere fact that she had thought to check where he'd gone meant she was too untrusting to be trusted herself. David's grip tensed on the stun rod. "Careful now, you don't want to do anything you would regret." Issa taunted him, letting the threat hang in the air. David knew what she meant, but it made him wonder what course of action he would truly regret. He thought back to trying to pilot the Exodus during the METS. On the surface, it had been a disaster, but it had also proven his courage and determination. He'd passed the test. The results spoke for themselves; his action had been necessary to secure his place on the Exodus mission. He thought of tricking Grissy, of using her to forward his political agenda. Even though she'd failed, his goal had been achieved. He hadn't had to face Professor Heulett in the debate. The outcome made his betrayal righteous; it had been necessary to create a future for New Eden. He thought of setting foot on this accursed bounty-hunting ship just an hour before. Going after the EMP had exposed him to unnecessary risk, it had trapped him in this corner in the first place. But that too had been necessary. David had needed to earn the trust of the wrenchers to avoid the backlash from Grissy's failure. Once again, he had acted in the best interest of the colony. There was nothing to regret. While the others were blinded by fear and mercy and doubt, David's eyes were clear because he could see his purpose. He would not regret his actions for he had left regret behind. Issa had threatened him, and in doing so she had threatened New Eden. She was the one who would have something to regret. David locked eyes with the mocking alien and took his weapon in both hands. "My only regret" he began in an eerily soft voice "is letting you survive your thaw." He bent his knees, took a deep breath, and shouted "Begone from my garden, Serpent!" David extended his back leg, straightening his knee, and lunged forward. He released the weapon with his left hand and pushed forward with his right to extend his reach as he One successthrust the stun baton toward his adversary as powerfully as his untrained arms and legs could manage.

OOC Summary: Misc: Reflect on his deeds and conclude everything he's done was necessary and justified Action: Attack Issa with the stun weapon he found. One success.   CN: 2 Job: Ship's Counselor. Attend to the mental health of the crew. Advise ship leaders and decision-makers on matters regarding crew morale and interactions with third parties. Help mitigate the stresses of long-distance space travel. How Does That Make You Feel - You can use your Humanity to discern the true meaning behind someone's words or deeds. Put Down Your Phone - You can use your Technology to disable a machine that is hurting somebody. Have You Tried Meditating On That - You can use your Humanity to still intense emotions or aggression in others by speaking calmly to them. Flags: - Use Counselor Albright as an opportunity to reveal what hides beneath the surface of your character. Share what scares you. Share what you hope for. Share what Humanity means to you. Ask what Humanity means to me. - Talk to me about politics, mine or yours. - Gossip about the fiasco at the debate, with me or behind my back

[Bhelogan]

Conference Call Mraak didn't like the position they were in, but he had to agree with Samuel. The ship they were on could very well be a deathtrap if it went into space. It also wasn't in a condition where it could land. "Where is this colony? We are going to need a mid-air transfer to get off this ship, once I give it the instructions to land. That is, unless you want to be in another crash." The ship started to move at an incredible speed toward the other side of the planet. Some parts of this vessel were clearly old, and the technology used seemed ancient to Samuel, but other parts were advanced beyond what they had. The engine system was one of those. Down the hallway, David was having his own panic. His words were a warning to Issa as was his body language. The smaller alien lept at David's head faster than he could have imagined. At the same instant, there were two impacts. One was the end of the stun stick colliding with Issa's torso. The other was Issa's fist smashing into David's face. For a moment David saw nothing but red. When his vision came back and the rising in his head stopped, everything looked blurry. He could see Issa's form on the floor, paralyzed in the same position it was as she was flying towards the air at him fist first. He reached up and felt his face, and could tell he had some deep bruising around his left eye, and his glasses were shattered. Both Samuel and Mraak heard the collision in the rear of the ship. They turned and saw David stumbling in the hallway, through the bridge door that was left open. When Samuel turned back around, Mraak was holding a rifle. Specifically, it was Lt. Pearson's rifle that had been used to take down one of the security droids. Mraak must have confiscated it when escorting everyone else off the ship. "I think I need some leverage of my own. Now listen closely, and nobody else has to get hurt. You are going to open up your comms, and call for a pickup ride. A smaller ship to come dock with us, right here, in the air." Samuel didn't have the chance to react before several calls came in at once. On the front projector, Maria Perez appeared first, followed quickly by Captain Worrell and Pam from the Nolrithian science vessel. "What is going on!" President Perez asked in shock, being the first to react as she got a view of what was happening on the ship's bridge. Mraak was quick to respond, "I am Senator Mraak of the Fourth Galactic Council." Samuel noticed that Mraak had quickly lowered the rifle below the navigation console, to keep it hidden from those on the comms system. Pam interrupted Mraak. "Wow, you are an old old fogey then. The Galactic Councils were disbanded thirty cycles ago." Samuel knew that a cycle was roughly equivalent to a decade on Earth. "How can we help you, Senator?" Captain Worrell cut off the Norlithian and gave a wink to Samuel. He must have gotten a warning from the grounded Vultuer A about what had happened, but wasn't letting on. "Well Captain," Mraak assumed the title, even though he didn't know Worrell's name. "We seem to be getting off on the wrong foot with your crew. This ship can't land, and it can't go into space. I would like you to send a shuttle to pick us up. I'm asking nicely, I would hate for things to get any uglier than they already are."

OOGM I haven't used the penalty mechanic much yet this year, but David has 1 penalty to any rolls that involve using his vision, due to not having his glasses and his left eye swelling up. Comms are still open to everybody. David could hear the conversation down the hallway and knows about the rifle. Your post deadline is Friday, August 18th at 9 am EST.

[squirmonkey]

 

Try to get Mraak to back down by threatening Issa. I'm counting Ship's Counselor for this, as we've previously ruled that psychological/intimidation actions like this count. Even though I'm asking Mraak to back down, I don't think "Have You Tried Meditating On That" should apply because I don't think David's really trying to calm the guy down, and I don't think he's especially calm himself.

I don't think my vision penalty applies here, but I'll include both possible results, in case.

Dice Humanity + Counselor to threaten:

2d6

4, 2

Total = 6

Successes: 3
Successes if we apply the vision penalty: 1

[squirmonkey]

Fear and Distrust David staggered out of the door to the engine room and hit the back wall hard, shattering the already cracked window into the galley on the opposite side of the hall. He slumped to the ground alongside the falling shards of glass which crunched underneath him as his weight pressed into the floor. He caught his breath, and tried to clear his head to bring the world back into focus, but that focus did not come. Touching his hands to the tender spot on his face where Issa's lightning-fast punch had landed, he realized she had shattered his glasses, so the world would not be coming back into focus any time soon. But his blow had landed too, he remembered the feeling of resistance and the burning smell as the stun rod had struck his opponent. He smiled. Issa had thought so highly of herself, it felt good to have bested her. Looking to his right, he saw two figures that had to be Mraak and Samuel. He listened as they talked to Pam and Worrell and scoffed when Mraak delivered his absurd lie about being a senator on some long-gone council. But David's concern was not with Mraak's words, it was with the black object he held in his hands. From the way he held it, it had to be a gun. David groaned with frustration. Why, of all the aliens that could have been in those tubes, had it been these two? These two who seemed determined to stand in his way at every turn. These monstrous two who answered his kindness with intimidation and his reason with threats! And why wasn't Sam doing anything to stop them? It would fall to David once again. David would not let Mraak treat him as a hostage on his own planet. David pressed his hand into the ground to support his weight as he stood, and cut his palm on a shard of broken glass. He wanted to recoil from the pain, but he was denied that luxury by his eternal master: necessity. He closed his hand around the jagged piece of glass, feeling the heat of his own blood slipping between his fingers as he embraced the pain. Then he rose sharply and hurried back into the engineering room, where Issa lay paralyzed on the ground. He lifted her up, holding her in front of himself by an arm around her neck. He hauled her out into the hallway - slowly, as a paralyzed person was heavy no matter how short they were. He trudged towards the door to the bridge, placing the shard of glass at Issa's throat. He shouted to the form of the tall alien still visible on the bridge. "Mraak! You took the words right out of my mouth." David's eyes darkened into a glare. "Nobody else has to get hurt." David inched closer to the door to the bridge. "You're going to put the gun down on the console there between you and Sam, and step away from it, and we'll all come out of this happy." David continued advancing towards Mraak, pausing with each step to kick Issa's paralyzed legs forward. "Look at her eyes, Mraak. She trusts you. Will you betray her? Will you kill her in cold blood? Put the gun down. Don't murder this poor girl with your fear and distrust" David finally reached the doorway to the bridge and stopped, now close enough to vaguely make out the features of Mraak's face despite his missing glasses. "You have my word. Put the gun down, and you both walk away from this. Our allies outside the ship will hear how helpful and friendly you were. They'll be happy to escort you home. Just think about it. What happens to you if you use that gun? What happens if we don't vouch for you when our allies arrive? Put the gun down, and you do more than save Issa. You save yourself." David stopped talking and for a moment the room was dead silent, except for the *pat* - *pat* - *pat* of blood running down his elbow and dripping onto the floor. But David couldn't hear that over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. It all came down to this, he thought. All of his work to build New Eden rested now in the hands of a dangerous alien that Three successes* see belowDavid could only hope was smart enough to see reason. Smart enough to obey.

OOC Summary: Misc: Take Issa hostage and hold her at glass-shard-point. No roll, because she's paralyzed Action: Coerce Mraak into putting the gun down and stepping away by threatening Issa (and him too, a little bit) using Humanity + Counselor. Three successes (I don't think my penalty to vision-related rolls applies here, but if it does this becomes only one success as a crit becomes a failure). New last-minute flag: If David is something that can be stopped, then just try to stop him!   CN: 2 Job: Ship's Counselor. Attend to the mental health of the crew. Advise ship leaders and decision-makers on matters regarding crew morale and interactions with third parties. Help mitigate the stresses of long-distance space travel. How Does That Make You Feel - You can use your Humanity to discern the true meaning behind someone's words or deeds. Put Down Your Phone - You can use your Technology to disable a machine that is hurting somebody. Have You Tried Meditating On That - You can use your Humanity to still intense emotions or aggression in others by speaking calmly to them. Flags: - Use Counselor Albright as an opportunity to reveal what hides beneath the surface of your character. Share what scares you. Share what you hope for. Share what Humanity means to you. Ask what Humanity means to me. - Talk to me about politics, mine or yours. - Gossip about the fiasco at the debate, with me or behind my back - If David is something that can be stopped, then just try to stop him!