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."

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?"

IC [The Computer] "I have access to audio, a video feed is not available however."

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."

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."

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.

So yeah considering we are now down to 20 crew (21 if we don't space the rebel), peeps can feel free to make secondary characters now. Remember, we're looking for fighter pilots so that's first preference.

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.

It evaporated sometime after Wrack left the scene. Due to the three flops of RPGs, Transformers RPGs are currently not being approved by a majority of the Judges, until we receive some form of proof that there's an actual playerbase there. Considering the state of things right now... yeah it's not here, see aforementioned evaporation.

IC [Colonel Ojeda] "I heard that spaceman!" The Colonel gave Vincent a hard stare from her ladder. "I'll change it to no-penalty stickball if you keep that attitude up!"

Nah, Chastain just hadn't honed the way of the gumbo yet. She was still but a novice.

March 15th 83 Years After Light Travel Major's Office on Puerto de Extensión The Captain's desk was littered with all sorts of memorabilia; a small plant from the far reaches of Zoltan space, several old Terran coins, a Engi's eye sensor suspended in some sort of blueish goo, even a few pirate sabers hanging behind her on the wall. Major Palmira Ojeda wasn't the tidy sort, not after twenty years on the frontier. She gave herself a start; twenty years out here, and she had just signed a contract for one more tour of duty. She must hate civilization, staying so far away from it as she was. The planet below was little more than a smuggler colony, littered with undesirables who were seeking a better life from the crowded Terra. Maybe that's why she was still out here; going back to the Inner Worlds reminded her too much of home. She knew she couldn't stay away forever, it was an irrational fear of old surroundings. Couldn't stay locked in the past forever. Had to go and say hi to her parents, see what her brothers were doing... “Major,” her staff Sargent opened the door, the grizzled woman surprisingly clean for once. “Your transfer is here.” “Transfer? I didn't ask for any transfer.” “Higher ups don't seem to think so.” “Give me a few seconds to clean up.” With the Sargent's snickering to give her comfort, the Major closed her desk monitor quickly, attempting to clear the table of the papers and tablets piled on it. Opting for the strategy of shoving everything in a draw, it was done quickly, and her new underling was shown in. The woman was young, barely looking twenty, dark skin that looked more like leather, a combination of hardwork and sun. Her hands in particular looked like those of a factory worker, burn marks and cuts littering them. Obviously had been in a dangerous business before, or at very least, a painful one. Her hair flowed down, nearly reaching the shoulders and giving the Major a pause for concern. Other than that, her uniform seemed in good shape, freshly pressed, and her insignias were on right. She was First Lieutenant Chastain, young and sporting a look that had a combination of boredom, impatience, and some amount of respect all rolled into one. “First Lieutenant Sophie Chastain, reporting for duty ma'am.” Her salute was sharp, respectable if a bit mechanical. “I guess they wanted to replace Horatio.” The Major dug around behind her desk, finding a tablet and flipping it on. Of course, they send her the information packet right as the recruit walks into her office. “You know what happened to Horatio, Lieutenant?” “Never heard of him, ma'am.” “Pirates got him. He was out patrolling on the boundaries of the system and bam, just like that, they got him.” The Lieutenant stared at her with an ambiguous expression. “You know what they send us? His finger. It's standard pirate procedure. Intimidation, they cut off fingers and just ship 'em over in little pods. Too bad for them that they used an ion-powered pod. Traced it back, I got Horatio, and then I nuked the asteroid they were hiding on. Poor boy though, he's back on Terra right now, getting his fingers and a few other bits replaced.” “I'll be sure to keep a careful eye on what bits I got, then... ma'am.” “I'm sure you will.” The info was pretty bleak on this recruit; highschool dropout, got in via the Academy's “no really we aren't desperate” program, had a decent standing in the Academy but got into fights. Sort of person they'd be willing to send out to the frontier. She didn't seem to be easily intimidated, though admittedly, the Horatio story wasn't that good. “Says here you requested to be out here; takes a special kind of person to want to be out on the frontier. Why?” “I want some adventure ma'am.” “Did they tell you anything about me?” “Your Staff Sargent said you like poker ma'am.” “Not the answer I wanted.” The Major was fighting an overwhelming urge to just call it a night. She didn't really feel like giving this recruit a hard time, but it was the treatment all under her command had to face at some point. “Let me help you; I'm Major Palmira Ojeda. I've been out on the frontier for twenty years. My most recent assignment is this rickety station we're on; two hundred soldiers, watching over our little smuggler city on the ground. We keep the Mantis raiders at bay and in exchange the good people of Terra give us their tax money. If you want adventure, I guess you're going find it here, but it's not going last. You're going be sick of it before your tour's over.” “If I may, ma'am, then why are you still here after five?” The Major gave the barest hint of a smile. “They won't let me go back home Lieutenant. Follow me, I'll introduce you to your co-workers. Sarah!” The door slid open the Sargent poking her head in. “Get the rest of the officers into the conference room, I have an introduction to make.” April 2nd 83 Years After Light Travel Recreation room on Puerto de Extensión “Major told her about her finger yet, Chastain?” It was a jovial atmosphere, a walk-in closet that had been recommissioned as a poker room. The rest of the crew didn't like the smoking, it being Space Force policy to keep smoking a private affair, so here the officers were. The closet was four by four meters, the lot of them crammed around a little table that was currently piled high with iridium credits. The officer asking Chastain was a certain Captain Isaac Mayera, a well dressed and sharp looking man who Ojeda had long ago deduced asked for the frontier just for the exotic women that came through. “Never did.” The woman tossed out a fifty credit coin, a string of curses and chair creaking following. “Tell her and I'll try you for mutiny,” Ojeda murmured, taking a long inhale of a nearby cigar. She tossed out a couple tens. “Charmer, isn't she?” The Captain gave a laugh. “Ties into the story actually. So here we are, young Ojeda's -yes soldiers, she was once young like you- out on the frontier. Finds the man of her dreams, marries him. Turns out he was a smuggler and everything he told her was a lie. What's more? The ring he gave her was actually a secret shipment of high-grade supermetal, supermetal like you lot have never seen, the sort so good they don't even make more than a few grams at a time. Couldn't get the ring off though, so in his haste, took her finger too.” The rest of the officers had a good laugh, Ojeda sitting at her end of the table and just taking another drink of her scotch. “Well Major? You gonna confirm or deny it to the rookie?” The Sargent handed her a new cigar, a smirk on her face. “Go **** yourselves.” The Colonel laid down her cards, four queens. Everyone gave a quick glance at their cards, Mayera keeping a cocky look on his face. The Major gave him a look, the Captain returning it, the two seeing who'd snap first. Finally, he sighed, putting down his cards and admitting defeat. The Major gave a smile, collecting her hoard of credits. Chastain found the Major half an hour later, sitting on the observation deck in the dark and generally looking broody. The Major herself wasn't actually brooding, it took a lot more than Mayera to get under her skin, it was more that continued exposure to quon leaves left the eyes pretty sore. The subordinates didn't need to know that, though. “Major,” Chastain began. “I'd like an assignment to the next patrol.” “Granted.” The Major had her head reclined back and feet on the coffee table, looking up at the roof and the stars beyond. “I heard about the incident on Deck 3.” There was a stiffening in the room. “Punched out a spaceman. Came to me, blood drizzling out of his nose and a sob story. Told me you and him had a disagreement.” “He insulted New Orleans, ma'am. Said it'd be more helpful as a lake.” “Yeah, I know, I had him scrubbing floors for a week after he made a comment about my beloved Mexico.” The Major didn't really leave her prone state. “That's the thing though Chastain, we aren't barbarians, as much as the folks back home might like to think. Feels good to break someone's face open, but it's not an officer's place. Leave that dirty work to his sargent. You, you're there to be better than that. You tell him to go scrub your quarters and invite his mates to watch. Humiliation is your tool now, lieutenant. Out here, on the frontier, you don't need to prove how strong you are or that you can beat up the biggest kid on the block. Surviving is enough for that.” She took a long drink, then leaned forward, gently setting the glass down and looked Chastain in the eyes. “Do I make myself clear?” “Yes ma'am.” “Get ready for the patrol.” March 15th 84 Years After Light Travel In orbit over Clark 8 “Bit of a pickle, I'd say.” The Major had her gun in one hand and sword in the other, evaluating the situation quickly. On her back was Chastain, who was armed with a rifle, and surrounding them were the angriest Mantis she'd seen in her life. There was something about the expression of a Mantis that so desperately wanted to eat your internal organs, but was being held back by its master. It was this pained look, all of its rage and hate directed right at its meal. In this situation, the Mantis' master was some sort of Mantis captain, a female that had risen through the raider's ranks. Ojeda remembered enough from the Academy to know that Mantis females were the nastious creatures you could meet out here; relegated to little more than breeders back in the Mantis core worlds, they had to prove themselves to get in a position of power. Combine that with the indomitable will Mantis gained as they matured and rose in command... very bad. “I don't think she appreciated the gumbo,” Chastain commented. “Did you put any poison in it?” “No, I was just expecting it to do its magic.” “Goddammit Chastain.” The Mantis female crept closer, long teeth revealed as she sneered. There was something that gave the scientists back home a run for their money; how insects had teeth. Then again, the Mantis weren't really insects, they defied enough boundaries that they were just lumped in a whole new biological class. “[You refused to stop encroaching on my feeding grounds human!]” The Major's Mantis was pretty rough but she got most of what the bug was saying. “[My hunters want food, and you will return our livestock or become it yourself!]” “My translation might be a bit off but... I think she just said she wants food and we're food.” The Major tapped her sword, a signal being sent to the assault party. Any moment now... “Chastain, you want to take over diplomacy on this one?” “You've got this one boss.” “Right. Mantis captain, we appreciate the fact that you need to eat but you have your little slug pets for that. When you start stealing our cattle we nuke you from orbit.” “[Return our livestock!]” “Don't say I didn't at least try.” Hearing a crunch of metal overhead, the two took the moment to dive out of the way, a pod coming down right on their location. Crashing into the floor and sending the Mantis into disarray, the pod broke open to reveal four Planetary Force spec ops, clad in dark armor and picking Mantis off one by one. Soon, the room was cleared, Ojeda and Chastain standing a bit stunned as one of the men walked up, saluting her. “Corporal Harken, sir.” The man's face was obscured behind his helmet, and absent-mindedly he crushed the skull of a nearby squirming Mantis. “We talked on the comms. Can I ask why you were down here ma'am? Seems a bit dangerous to have two officers doing the talking.” “I have to keep active, it's the latest strategy for living longer, living an active lifestyle. Say you can get to a hundred and fifty that way.” “Whatever you say ma'am. My men will clean up the rest of the Mantis on this ship; the cattle are being returned to your station.” The man gave another salute and walked off to supervise some killing, leaving Ojeda to stand over the corpse of the Mantis captain and ponder it for a moment. “You've never seen Mantis killing up front, have you Lieutenant?” The Major kicked the body over to reveal the face. “Don't think so ma'am.” The Lieutenant shrugged. “Anniversary of your transfer, you know that?” The Major took out a knife, carefully cutting out a long protrusion on the Mantis' skull. It had the appearance of hardened cartilage, the same stuff the Mantis exo-skeletons were made out of, but it was very hard. Holding it up, the Major examined it, then tossed it to Chastain. “See that? It's something the females develop. Mantis are funny creatures like that, they almost have built-in ranks. Older they get, the more distinctive their head-plates become. Mantis females though, they tend to be so doped up on one of those breeding worlds, or frozen, they never grow them. Pretty distinctive when they do, though. Keep it on your shelf and tell the new transfers about it. Should be amusing.” With those words of wisdom, the two walked off, heading to the nearest airlock so they could get back to the station and, hopefully, avoid near-death experiences for a little while longer.

eh 2/10 too much gumbo But yeah comedy action adventure romance what's there not to like here you can't be a proper FTL player without knowing how your two plucky command officers got to where they are today. Recommended reading and this is canon so yeah.

IC [Colonel Ojeda] "I'll be winning it back soon enough. Daniels! Don't be afraid to use psychological warfare! Scare the enemy, hit them where they hurt!" The Colonel glanced over at the face-faulting Vincent. "Walker, one of your men is trying to injure himself to get out of the game, please motivate him appropriately."

Eons late but in my defense the profile's always been done, I just never got around to putting it here xD Name: Palmira Ojeda Gender: Female Age: 54 Species: Human Profession: Ship Colonel Skills: Ojeda is adept at leadership and strategy, and her time running anti-piracy patrols on the frontier has given her plenty of experience in handling stressful situations. While functionally a commander, though, Ojeda is also skilled in gun-fighting, having honed her abilities over the years. Items: She carries dual plasma revolvers, custom made from back home, as well as a thin katana-like sword, made of high-grade supermetal. Appearance: Palmira stands at 5'10", with black hair cut short at mid-neck and hard, pronounced facial features. Various scars litter the outside of her brown eyes, a side effect of the goggles once issued in the Terran Space Force, and various plasma burns are scattered around her body. One of her fingers is missing, replaced with a cybernetic substitute. She looks her age, with sun-weathered skin and many visible scars. Personality: Palmira has largely adopted the persona of the no-nonsense Colonel, taking a serious approach to many things. While not unheard of, it's unlikely anyone will find Palmira taking part in a crew poker game or generally socializing with the crew. She knows what she asks of them and largely leaves them be, though the exception comes in the form of her first officer. Biography: Palmira grew up in the streets of Mexico City, in a well-off family that was never around much. Her parents worked constantly, leaving her and her siblings to their own devices. The trouble Palmira constantly found herself in was in stark contrast to her academic life, where she did well and was considered a prized student, who would one day go make something of her life. In the end, Palmira did, though not in the way her parents would have hoped. After getting into a particularly bad spot with a local gang, she left to join the Terran Space Force, lured by the promise of free education and a life away from the city. In the Academy she excelled just as much as she ever had, though with substantially less trouble-making. Her happiest day was graduation, not because she had made it, but because she was about to die from boredom. Immediately requesting a post on the frontier, she found herself commissioned as a First Lieutenant to the 2nd Anti-Piracy Fleet. There she would serve the majority of her time, nearly five tours of duty, fighting the pirates and slavers on the frontier and eventually meeting her future first officer, though at the time the future Lieutenant Colonel was far younger and far more junior. She would leave the frontier with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel herself, now serving under the command of General Talos, learning his strategies and accompanying him on diplomatic missions. Six years later she was appointed to the rank of Colonel, given her own ship to command, and would partake in the Engi Homeworld Tour. It was then when the Mantis struck, forcing her ship back to Earth to defend it. She helped coordinate the rescue of the crew of the battleship Tokyo, and would be involved in the repelling efforts on the frontier. After her acts of valor, the Terran Council saw fit to appoint her as commander of the UFS Kestrel, and to carry information vital to the survival of humanity. Having remet her old subordinate from the frontier, now a Lieutenant Colonel herself, it was a clear choice on the XO of the vessel. She spent the better part of two months gathering the crew from the edges of human space, confident that the rag-tag group would be able to ensure the mission's success.

IC [Colonel Ojeda] Devas received a very disapproving glare as he passed by Ojeda's perch, and she flipped a ten-er down to Chastain. Apparently the two had also made a bet about the participation of the Vendarians. "Seven man football, I guess it fits our micro-field we have going on here."

IC [The Computer] "According to my records, Mr. Deuce, no such conversation ever took place. Are you certain you did not dream it?"

IC [Colonel Ojeda] "You're smug now, but Daniels and Harkin are the best football players on this ship. Money's going towards my space yacht fund, by the way; maybe I'll buy one with a proper kitchen, and I'll hire you as a chief."

IC [Colonel Ojeda] "Liu! Grow a spine, I can't accept money won because someone had a breakdown on the field. Look at the ball, find the ball, kick the ball in the enemy team's direction. It's .4 gee, you'll be fine."

IC [Colonel Ojeda] The computer had beeped that it didn't know at Gaven, but the Rockman was soon to find out anyways. The assembled crew was in the hanger, the fighters pushed off to the sides and a football field drawn out. It was smaller than a regulation field, the Kestrel just wasn't large enough, but it was spacious nonetheless. The Colonel had set up a ladder, which she climbed onto and pulled out handheld comm, voice coming onto the speakers. "Alright crew! I have five thousand credits resting on this game today, as does your Lt. Colonel, so you know at least one of us is going be on your collective arses if your team loses today. Major Daniels and Major Walker will be captains of today's event, we'll be playing low-grav football. For the savages raised out on the colonies, it's regulation football with the grav plates turned down to .4 gee. For those not conquered by the glorious South American Republic, you play the game by kicking the ball into the goal. You touch the ball with your hands and I remove your hands. Landes, touch the ball with telekinesis and I'll have you cleaning this ship with your toothbrush." The Colonel pulled out a letter, reading the list on it. "Now listen up, your team assignments are coming. Major Daniels will captain Team A, consisting of the following; Kenshin HarkinOvechkinAshley LandesZokander ZahmDevas SindorinAu’RehnSouper SaladdMajor Walker will captain Team B, and will consist of the following; Wulf KharonCan SkinterDeuceAmeli HalikKelezaagVincent LiuErrogavenGet to your teams and hash it out; game starts in five minutes. We'll be going for 90 minutes or until five goals, whichever comes first."

IC [The omnipotent narrator] The following events were ever so slightly anticlimatic, though for the Kestrel crew, that was a blessing. After escaping to orbit, the Engi authorities had been called and the situation explained. The crew was able to escape charges of conspiracy for assassination after the evidence was reviewed, and the Kestrel avoided a firefight out of Engi space. Questions were raised, however, as three Engi superusers had been taken offline during the incident, showing there was a far greater effort behind this than a mob catching a lucky break. It was an interesting mystery, but not one the Kestrel had time to stick around for, so after polishing the ship up it promptly left the system with an apology for the mess. IC [Colonel Ojeda] Twelve days later It had been an uneventful journey through the unchartered systems, roaming Mantis raiders keeping their distance and pirates not bothering with the Kestrel. It almost made Ojeda forget that she was on a mission that the Council told her she was probably going die on. Tabbing open her ledger, she looked at the schedule for the day; shifts were assigned, engines were running smoothly, hull damage was minimal... and there was a note left by Chastain in the corner, reminding Ojeda about their bet. Well, she couldn't very well let Chastain say she was too much of a coward, could she? "All active crew," Ojeda's voice came on over the ship comms. "Gently drop what you're doing and report to the hanger bay. Daniels, Walker, it's go-time."

IC [The Computer] "Mr. Ovechkin, such violent methods will not be necessary; I doubt the local law enforcement will board a military craft." The ship continued onward, orbital thrusters warming as it began to ascend. "The situation is dire, Mr. Gaven, but we seem to be handling ourselves. The remaining crew will be teleporting aboard soon enough, at which point we will enter orbit." IC [Colonel Ojeda] Having dismembered and/or gutted seven Engi, Ojeda looked over the now empty room. Mobs were powerful because of their sheer numbers, but the Confederacy was familiar with mob tactics; it was what the Mantis used. With no organization, it had been a simple matter of shooting and slashing, though she was fairly sure the cuts she'd taken were going get infected. Pulling the nearby Master Sargent up, she looked out the gaping hole, seeing a rather sizable mob still outside. "We're going have to explain this, aren't we?" The teleporter came on, Ojeda and her security detail beaming up. Once she re-materialized, she wasted no time heading to the bridge. "Computer, get the authorities on the comms, send them what we know of the situation. You, Gaven, keep looking sharp, and might want to grab onto something, gravity plates can be finicky when accelerating to orbital speeds."

I'd be on there more often, but the forum still doesn't count OTC posts.

IC [Computer] "The command staff are under attack but steadily teleporting back. Assume the piloting chair and head towards the waypoint." The computer ran a check to make sure everyone was in, the airlock bridge retracting and the ship beginning to thrust away as the Engi fighters scattered. More concerning to the ship, though, was the impending arrival of what appeared to be a dozen Engi police craft, each maybe half its size. IC [Colonel Ojeda] "Hold on the daring escape through the ventilation shafts plan for the moment," the Colonel was trying to pick out her comm chatter. "Geburah, these are Engi insurgents, I think your silver tongue will be better served explaining to the authorities what just happened. Computer, ETA?" Walker's form dematerialized next to Ojeda, the teleporter bringing her back to the ship. Be a brief cooldown and then Ojeda would be hauling back as well. Despite some preconceived notions Skinter might have had, the computer had heard her right when she ordered all the command staff but herself beamed in the first go. The immediate concern, now, became the fact that the Engi mob had quite effectively beaten to a pulp the various officials and elite, and now the couple dozen or so of the mob turned to the humans, visors blinking as they wondered what exactly to do. Eventually one decided they'd come all this way, might as well clean house, and soon the entire mob was upon them. Swords clashed on Engi metal and rifles went off, a chaotic scene as the mob tried their best to beat the humans into the ground.

IC [Assembled buffet goers] The buffet was going well, conversations carrying on and food being eaten. Then, a low humming noise could be heard, the walls vibrating until finally, explosions racked the room, sending people and tables flying as laser blasts burst in. There was the general screaming, as what appeared to be Engi fightercraft hovered outside, firing in on the gatherings. It lasted a few seconds... until an even larger noise could be heard. With a great wind and the roar of atmospheric thrusters, the Kestrel hovered over the building, its kinetic weapons opening fire on the fighters and forcing them off the building, while the ship maneuvered itself to the side of the building, finding a gap amongst the platforms large enough for it to fit. Airlock opening and bridge extending, the computer's voice came over the crew comms. "Attention crew, emergency procedures have been activated. Please board the Kestrel immediately and go to battle stations."