RPG: FTL

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: "I volunteer to play Forward."

[Alex Humva]

OOC
Due to things going on in the Skype chat, a new player arriving, and this football thing obviously not going at a speed faster than a narcoleptic slug, we once again must employ the age old GM maneuver of plot traaaaaavel. Apologies to all looking forward to kicking each other in the shins.

 

IC [Narrator]

 

The game was fierce and ever-so-slightly anticlimactic. After scoring a goal early on, the game ended 1-0 in Walker's favor, a moral crushing blow to the other team and causing the Colonel to retreat to her quarters for the next two days as she lamented the loss of her space yacht fund. The ship stopped off at a smuggler station for drinks, with one half of the crew celebrating and the other trying to rid their memories of it. It was then that the Colonel, from the comfort of her bunk, received an odd report; Lt. Skinter's resignation from the message and something about a stripper called Chastity. Contemplating it for a moment, she radioed Harken as to the specifics, but the man seemed to know little about it, other than reports of Skinter being seen doing business with a slug and a human. Putting it out from her mind, she requested all the material the ship had on the teleporter and began studying it; losing a teleportation officer wasn't very helpful, but someone else could be trained in it. Maybe Taylor, the boy needed something to do.

 

She did wonder what had made Skinter quit, but it didn't bother her; if someone couldn't stick through the mission, it wasn't someone who was needed on the mission. She did eventually leave her bunk to do business with a black market informant; the ship needed fighter pilots, and out here in the unchartered regions, you were bound to find some good pilots for hire, maybe in Federation men. She was informed of a few's location and made sure to make note of it for the future.

 

After the crew had slept off their hangovers the ship was on its way again, jumping into a fragmented star system. The assembled crew on the bridge was treated to a spectacle: a red giant, surrounded by huge chunks of rock. Double-checking the nav-coordinates, the computer's voice chimed in.

 

"This is Kepler 1360c, Colonel, or at least, it was. It was the subject of much curiosity shortly after the discovery of FTL, as geological surveys show these asteroids as being formerly part of a planet, and the original Kepler satellite detected a large planetoid here. It is a mystery what force was strong enough to rip the planet apart, and it is considered a hazardous FTL node. Thankfully, due to our extended sensors and astrological charts, I was able to plot us one hundred thousand kilometers off the jump node and avoid entering the debris field."

 

"All very fascinating Dave. Any threat posed by the sun?"

 

"None at this time, Colonel." The computer stopped, whirling for a moment. "Colonel, I have detected a derelict ship, one life form detected. Human. Directly outside of the debris field."

 

"Zokander, take us in, careful now." Via the magic of relative velocities, the Kestrel arrived within a few minutes, the form of the derelict ship appearing through the cockpit window. It was an old Terran vessel, what appeared to be a retrofitted medical ship. Many parts of it were blasted open from the years of asteroid belting, and the minimal heat signs showed that the ship's life support was in very poor conditions. Whoever was onboard wasn't going be alive much longer. "Computer, options?"

 

"I would suggest an immediate teleport, Colonel." The computer gave another whirling noise. "Colonel, I have identified the vessel's transponder code: the Red Knife, a ship believed to have been destroyed in the Cardean Uprising."

 

"A rebel ship?" The Colonel's brow furrowed. "That was five years ago. How is someone still alive on that thing?"

 

"I am detecting power to the medbay Colonel. I suspect a stasis pod was used."

 

The Colonel thought on it for a moment, looking at Chastain. The two had a brief muttering, and then she flipped on the comms. "Taylor, get a sensor lock and beam the ship's human aboard. Get out your pistol and keep an eye on him. Harken! We've got a situation, I need you to escort a rebel to the brig."

 

The Colonel stood, looking at the assembled. "Could leave him to die in that ship, but no man deserves that. We'll find out who he is, what he's done, what his role was in the rebellion, and then we'll see if we need to space him. Daniels, get me a report on what we can salvage from the ship. Walker, Chastain, come with me, we have a rebel to interrogate."

 

Cardea. The Colonel grimaced. Wasn't that much unlike Asimov. Certainly over a lot quicker. Not sure how they intended to declare independence with a full Confederate fleet in the sector.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Engineer Alexandra Humva

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

It's not a pleasant sensation, waking up from stasis, let me tell you that. One might even say it's kinda... what's the word... irritating.

 

Now, I'm not asking you, the reader, much: just imagine, for a moment, that you are veritably probably about to die. Your friends are nearly all dead. Yourself, you're reaching for a desperate last attempt at survival, by rushing with the few remaining members of the ship's crew towards the stasis pod chamber, where you do your best to help your last pals get into the pods, help press the eject button that loads them into the escape shuttles that will bring them more or less perhaps theoretically safely to the nearest planet. Now, as for yourself, you find yourself in the extremely awkward situation of... not really having anyone to press that button for you.

 

So out of desperation, you close yourself in the pod. And in the blink of an eye, you find yourself in a far different spaceship, presumably having just been beamed aboard, a sense of numbness like no other in your limbs. Even a single step takes effort. And your eyes... let's not even begin about your eyes. They weigh with the shadow of a million-year-old sleep.

 

The bright side is, you feel as if you've slept like a baby. Practically better than ever before. That, however, is heavily outweighed by the fact that almost immediately someone who wants to "escort you to the captain" and who owns a gun shows up. Every freaking time.

 

It was only natural that my reaction to this experience was to yawn, stretch my arms, and sigh deeply before asking the highly aggressive people in front of me:

 

"Is there any food on this flight?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Just like a rebel. No common courtesy - you'd think people would give us a few seconds to let up, let a few babes plan a party."

 

"Tsk! The Colonel would never!" Estelle said with a ruffle of her pink locks. "So, can I be good cop?"

 

"Like you'd be anything else."

 

"Good. Ohh I should sit on his lap or something, real sexy like."

 

"The Adventures of Daisy Duke and the Food Truck Bandit: A Space Odyssey?"

 

"I like it... Not sure how Will would feel about it though.."

 

"Oh right... you've been infected with the Boyfriend Pathogen."

 

"Hey! Will is very sweet... and very good in bed. Don't be jealous that I'm getting some."

 

"Hardly jealous."

 

"Pfft. Sure you aren't... So... You ready for this, Soph?"

 

"I would much rather interrogate some spacer than talk boyfriends."

 

Estelle rolled her eyes dramatically before shaking her head. "You are always so brash... this is why you are single."

 

"No, it's not," Sophie said brusquely, checking her comm to end the conversation there. "Taylor's beaming him now. You ready?"

 

"Think so or do you think I should unzip this a bit?" She asked teasingly.

 

"Don't show too much skin. If you do, it'll mix badly with all the pink. He won't take you seriously."

 

"...sometimes I really don't like you." She said as she touched her hair defensively. Chastain managed a wry smile and high-fived Estelle when they came upon the prisoner. He was yawning and clearly unkempt; his eyes were shadowed, hair ruffled, face flippant, and he was hungry. Hungry, of all things.

 

"We got gumbo in spades." 

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC

 

"We want to interrogate, not kill him!" Estelle whispered into Chastain's ear before smiling at the prisoner.

 

"I'm Major Walker and this is Lieutenant Colonel Chastain. We are just going to ask you some questions, alright?" She asked the man as she stood by Chastain's side.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Queen Elsa of Arendelle

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

The rebel's snark was met with cuffs and the armored hulk of a man in front of him hauling him off down the ship, a young Rockman soon joining the escort. They arrived in the brig with little ceremony, a side door being opened and a shimmering forcefield turning off. Harken dumped the man in a chair in the center of the room, securing his legs to it and then assuming a post in the corner, watching.

 

The rebel became aware of the presences; powered armor man in the corner, Rockman outside, three officers around him, and a young... catgirl outside? There was an odd tingling in his head, like the time a slug salesman came by the city.

 

The Colonel rested on the door as it closed, directly in front of the rebel, and watched as the two women went to work, flanking the man. There'd be no pleasure in this, but the Cardean Uprising also cost the lives of seven thousand Confederate troops. There wasn't much mercy in her heart for anyone involved in that.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

I laughed.

 

Not for any particular reason. I just wanted to make sure I can still do that after the n days I've been in stasis. It would have been disappointing had I forgotten how that's done; and being dumped and locked in some primitive torture/interrogation tool wasn't gonna stop me.

 

"Alright," I heard my own voice echo in the room as my senses were fading slowly in and becoming clearer, "I know how this is done. I'll talk. Tell you everything you want. With just a single condition, pee-ell-ess. I just want some water."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Willy Brandt

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"This could be easy after all. Leaves me time to party plan. Thanks, Mister Enemy of the State."

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC

 

Estelle nodded, pressing her comm button. "I need a glass of water in the interrogation room."

 

With that out of the way, Estelle approached him. "First off, I need your name and former rank. You know, the basics."

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"You're welcome, Ms. Person Vaguely Connected In A More Or Less Positive Way To The State," I replied, wearing the straightest expression ever, to the first voice, the image of whose owner slowly settled in my line of sight as my vision got clearer. Then I turned to the pink-haired girl next to her, and grinned, having to say my name again for the first time in... honestly, I had no idea how long:

 

"I'm Roland. Roland Hamilton. Son of Eric and Alyx Hamilton. No rank. In the Cardean Planetary Forces, we had no ranks. We didn't last long enough to make them. I was the rough equivalent of a land forces captain in the planetary uprising, and the more or less primary mechanic of the rebel flagship in the space battles."

 

I sat with my mouth opened, as if I had something to say, for about five seconds, and then spoke again:

 

"What did you say this year was, again?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"95 ALT."

 

-Tyler

Edited July 14, 2014 by Brooklyn Pace-Carlisle

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"Well darn. It's been five years of my parents thinking I'm dead. How fun."

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"They'll probably still be happy." The Colonel's eyes betrayed some sense of loathing. "After the Cardean Uprising and the deaths of our men, the Supreme Assembly decided that it just wasn't in the busy of fighting anymore. It granted Terran Commonwealth Status to Cardea and the planet is now free to do what it wishes. Funny, the first thing they did was cut off the grain shipments. Food use to be free in human space, we eradicated starvation with the bounties of space. The League still eats for free, now Earth has to rely on its one remaining farm world. Before we left I heard pirates were interfering with the Asimov supply route, with all the Confederate forces out on the Mantis border. Wonder how the folks back home are coping."

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

I blinked.

 

"Wait, you mean to tell me... we kind of won? Wow. This is... I don't even know. Is that water on its way so I can have a celebratory drink?"

[Eevee]

IC

 

"..." Estelle grabbed Chastain's arm to keep her back and forced a smile. "If you want to stay in one piece i think you should watch what you say."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Queen Elsa of Arendelle

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

The drink came right then, headed towards the rebel, but the Lieutenant Colonel intercepted it. Sophie Chastain smiled wolfishly, took the glass of water, and turned it upside down onto the cell's floor. Roland made a noise of indignation and Ojeda's head snapped towards Chastain, but Estelle had her hand already on the arm holding the glass when Sophie made to stand.

 

-Tyler

Edited July 14, 2014 by Brooklyn Pace-Carlisle

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

Ameli, unable to contain her curiousity, erm, finely honed and sharp investigative instincts that provided a vital service the to free and powerful Vendarian Imperium. The Vendarian bustled into the brig and took a place along the wall. She took a moment to take the sight in, face hidden behind the expressionless faceplate of her gasmask. It was an interesting thing, watching the two confederates chat with a member of the revolts they had put down. In truth, her sympathy was entirely with the rebel. The Imperium had won it's freedom through violence, and this man had, if her files on the revolt were correct, done the same. 

 

It was rather hard not to smirk at how worked up the command staff was getting. Old feeling long unstirred were coming back up the surface, the Mantis war had more or less forced down the anti-confederate feeling in the Imperium back for the time being, but this situation was bringing them back from the dead, at least, for her. Wouldn't interfere with her work, but she made a note to have a private conversation with the rebel as soon as possible.

 

Perhaps she'd give him some wine.

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"A shame, though, that the Supreme Assembly didn't pass an amnesty bill for those involved." Ojeda raised an eyebrow, moving forward and shrugging her suboordinates off. Crouching down, she looked into the rebel's eyes. "You are still an enemy of the Terran Confederation, and being a troop captain, you are an enemy combatant. There is little useful information you can provide us... after all, the war's over, isn't it? You won. Seven thousand men lay in shallow graves fertilizing your crops and what did the rebels give for their precious independence? Two thousand dead, mostly from the bombardments on your holdouts. We gave medical supplies to your people. We brought most of you back from the brink of death. The resources of Terra, spent on rebellious farmers who ultimately won.

 

"How many men did you kill, Mr. Hamilton? That's the only thing that matters, now."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Engineer Alexandra Humva

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

Daniels, for his part, did as he had been ordered, turning the ship's sensors on the derelict craft in before them. Most of it was damaged, beyond any repair that might be feasible out here, but there were some components that might be salvageable. Certainly some of the more intact pieces of hull plating could be useful for later repairs. His task wasn't a difficult one, particularly with the aid of the ship's computer, and he carefully logged and filed his findings on the status of the ship.

 

...

 

But he couldn't help but be curious about what was going on in the brig. He really wanted to know. Truthfully, he was a little disappointed he didn't get to look into the matter. But orders were orders.

 

...

 

"Dave, do we have cameras and microphones in the brig?"

[Alex Humva]

IC [The Computer]

 

"I have access to audio, a video feed is not available however."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"..."

"Good enough. On speaker, please."

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"Al-righty, I suppose that drink's called off, then."

 

I straightened myself. Celebrating was clearly out of the question in the conditions I was in. Fair enough. Understandable, I suppose. This was a Federation vessel rather than one back on Cardea, after all. Once I got back... no, if I got back, now that's what mattered, there could be all the celebrations I'd want.

 

"Fair enough, Ms. We Saved You," I addressed the seeming captain of this ship, trying my best not to smile. It didn't seem like a good time to smile. I wanted to live, after all. "I'm sure I'd love to argue with you about how you oughtn't have saved us if we caused you so much trouble. I'm sure I'd love to argue about the means, reasons, and causes of that uprising. But I won't bother and instead I'll answer your question. Four. I've killed four men, with my own hands. The first one was a friend in the ditches of New Istanbul during our rising. He was gravely wounded and medical help was not coming. He asked for his pocketknife. I didn't mean to think of what he would do with it."

 

I sat silent. And coughed.

 

"Medical help arrived literally two minutes later. He would've made it. I handed him the knife. It was his blood on my hands."

 

"The next two were soldiers. There's no heartrending story behind it. We were in a battle. I murdered. They murdered. I happened to murder them."

 

"Then there was Kaina. A friend, a fellow mechanic, for that matter. We were on that last ship, the Red Knife, the one you recovered us from. We were being bombarded, and things were looking grim. I wasn't thinking. I..."

 

I coughed. It might've been an illusion, but I kind of thought I coughed just a bit of blood.

 

"One wrong button pressed, and a door is sealed. I thought she had gotten through with us to the med bay, but... no, she was left behind. Behind a sealed door. Again, someone dear to me had been killed by my own hands. So that's the fourth person I've killed. Take that as you will."

[Eevee]

IC

 

Estelle kept her hand on Chastain, both to restrain and to oddly comfort her as she could tell her friend was upset, as she listened to the man speak.

 

"... Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. Is there anything else you would like to declare?"

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"Look," I began, knowing that this might well possibly be my last public speech, so I had to make it a good one. "I know how you military types work, and I'm going to appeal to your better nature despite that. Please don't space me. Like, even if you decide to execute me, Cardea is just a system away and my soul in Heaven or maybe worse than that or wherever would be eternally grateful if you'd let me die on my own land. Failing that, shoot me and store me in the cargo bay and just sort of drop my body off to my parents, assuming they're still alive. They've thought I've been dead for so long. I'd prefer they know there's at least something physical left of me."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Willy Brandt

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

Ameli spoke up, at that. "I will get a message to them, if all else should fail." She did not, after all, operate under Confederate authority. Technically speaking. Which, insofar as the various desk jockeys of the Vendarian secret police were concerned, was the best type of speaking.

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"Spacing a man for killing two soldiers on the battlefield isn't proper. We space rebels who attacked garrisons unprovoked, who committed the atrocities that we remember back home. Assuming you're telling the truth, and my inside man says you are, then you are merely a soldier doing his job. Somewhat incompetently I might add, but we don't execute men for doing their duty." The Colonel turned to the door, looking out. "Advisor, please, we are working here. Could you retain your comments until we're done?"

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

Because the colonel was so very concerned about professionalism, letting slavers off the hook, allowing her various underlings dump water in front of a man who hadn't seen water in five years. Ameli rolled her eyes. All the colonel saw, thanks to the gasmask, was a small shrug.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Basilisk

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"I might have just been doing my duty, aye," I replied, some devil spurring on my tongue despite it perhaps being wiser to stay a bit more quiet. "But it doesn't irk you at all that I did it eagerly? Not the killing, that is. But I didn't fight on the rebels' side due to an order. I fought as a volunteer. I willingly joined the rebellion and I willingly fought for my planet's independence. Somewhat incompetently, as you say, but I did believe in what I was fighting for and I still believe now. Are you so tolerant as to forgive not just duty, but also conviction?"

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley 

 

Ashley had been staring at Ameli for a bit now, sure Ashley couldn't see what was happening behind that mask, but she didn't need to. Being an empath had it's uses, and right now what she was sensing from Ameli was putting her off. 

 

"So...did you come on this mission to just sneer at everything the Colonel does or would you like to actually give useful advice?" She made it quite clear who she was talking too. 

Edited July 14, 2014 by Princess Anna of Arendelle

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

The Colonel gave a motion to Ashley to deal with the Vendarian, and turned back to the rebel. "There's more water on its way. As much as I do like the thought of spacing rebels, you seem to be a mechanic, not really suited to fighting. No war crimes under your belt, no massacres or such. You survived five years out in space, your ship's power should have given out long ago and left you to rot in that stasis pod. The fact that you're still alive tells me the Almighty had some purpose for you, and while I try not to do my job based on the quirks of the universe, I don't think it'd do justice for me to space you right now." The man started talking again, and it made Ojeda raise an eyebrow. "Son, you're not helping your case any here. To answer your question though, I don't really care about your convictions. As eyerolling as I find Cardea's quest for independence, which frankly could have been achieved by filing some sternly worded paperwork with our current government, such things are for another setting.

 

"I'm here to fight Mantis, not you and your rebel friends. Cardea won, they got their independence. They killed too many good soldiers in the process, but I understand when the war is over. What good would it do for me to space you now? Stoke the resentment even more? I loath your methods, but there is simply no point. Perhaps if you had been a mass murderer you'd already be floating outside of this ship, but you're a mechanic and a shoddy soldier to boot. It wouldn't be worth the O2 we'd lose jettisoning you."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Engineer Alexandra Humva

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

"I do not need to justify myself to a gene deviant, and I would thank you to mind your own concerns."

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"Helping my case is not what I care about. I wanted to make sure you know the context. That said, I'm glad with your decision. Now can I please - seriously, please - get some water. For reals. It's been five long years without water."

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley 

 

"Not my concern? I'm an enlisted member of the Terran Confederacy, you're here on the patience of the Colonel and some politicians that have never even been out of their home planet's atmosphere." Ashley's face looked surprisingly stern, who knew should could make that face? 

 

"So maybe you do have to justify yourself to a gene deviant eh? You don't have a rank at all here." 

Edited July 14, 2014 by Princess Anna of Arendelle

[Eevee]

IC

 

Estelle couldn't help but grin when she heard Ashley put Ameli in her place. She would have to remember to give her a reward for that.

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

Some water slipped in, and Ojeda handed it over. "We're running on limited FTL crystals, not going backwards towards Cardea. We can drop you off at a station with a couple credits to buy yourself a trip back home. Or, if you're willing to switch sides to the enemy, I'm sure our chief engineer can always use a two more hands. No guarantees we won't offload you in Zoltan space, though."

 

Chastain gave Ojeda a furious look, something along the lines of you're letting rebels join the crew?, to which Ojeda responded with a shrug and some sign language. Skinter's salary is burning a hole in my pocket. Kid's young, little more than a farmer. I'll have Ashley check him out. Should be fine though.

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

"Then take it up with said politicans. I care little for what you think." Ameli was more amused then anything else. It was like seeing a kitten try to fight a shark. Ironic really, she cared so much for the colonel but was willing to see a man who had not seen a sip of water in five years have it cruelly wasted in front of him. At least Vendarian interrogations were civilized, just a shot of truth serum and various other drugs, if need be. No need for such crude tricks.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: Roland Hamilton

 

"You said it yourself. The war is over. There are no enemies."

 

I wasn't sure what prompted me to say that. Maybe the lack of a goal in my newly reborn life. Maybe the dangerous pathological need to defy the clearly hostile aura radiating from that girl whose wrist was held tight by that other, pink-haired gal. Maybe no reason at all. Maybe just sheer dumb gratitude for finally getting water.

 

"As long as I finally am told the names of my new superior and, well, everyone else, I'll be glad to join. You did drag me off that derelict wreck, after all. There's a debt of gratitude I've to fill."

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Colonel, could we please have Ms. Ameli removed from the interrogation room? I feel like she is distracting from the interrogation."

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"Computer, cut the audio feed and tint the windows." The computer chimed, and the room was cut off from the outside. "There, some peace and quiet. Now, Mr. Hamilton, are you familiar with the Zoltan?"

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

It was cute, really, how easily one could read the bias of various officiers aboard the craft, an enlisted starts a confrontation and said officier requests that the attacked party leaves the room. Ameli was shocked with the ease with which she could read some of them. They wouldn't have lasted a moment in the secret police.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Basilisk