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[Lasers & Feelings] Episode I: "Irresistable" (Scene ii: Action Stations!)
AlfredR
I take weekends off from the internetRegistered User regular
I take weekends off from the internetRegistered User regular
YOU ARE THE CREW OF THE INTERSTELLAR SCOUT SHIP STARWISP. Your mission is to explore uncharted regions of space, deal with aliens both friendly and deadly, and defend the consortium worlds against space dangers. CAPTAIN DARCY has been overcome by the strange psychic entity known as Something Else, leaving you to fend for yourselves while he recovers in a medical pod.
I'm going to let Againsto from Board Game Geek say it, because he said it best and we are the same page about this game:
Againsto wrote:Lasers and Feelings is a one-page free Space Opera RPG by the esteemed John Harper. It is available here:
http://onesevendesign.com/lasers_and_feelings_rpg.pdf
Having grabbed this, go back to his main page and tip the man already. You'll feel better about yourself.
I am looking for up to six (6) players to man the scout ship of the indisposed Captain Darcy.
...
This will be a light game, as Space Opera should be. ... Posting rate can be casual rather than competitive. The crew will by virtue of the game "system" be diverse and complementary, with some narrative niche protection.
I will aim to run this game like a serialized TV drama, with minor challenges potentially connected to an ongoing threat situation; let's see how that works.
Againsto also wrote:A few brief initial notes, nothing surprising here:
This is Space Opera,
"Space opera is a real-world subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic adventure, exotic places, and larger-than-life characters in a galactic or intergalactic setting." ~Wikipedia
Yay.
The term used to be all pejorative. Now, not so much.
Some guys I don't know put it well:
"Hartwell and Cramer define space opera as "colorful, dramatic, large-scale science fiction adventure, competently and sometimes beautifully written, usually focused on a sympathetic, heroic central character and plot action, and usually set in the relatively distant future, and in space or on other worlds, characteristically optimistic in tone. It often deals with war, piracy, military virtues, and very large-scale action, large stakes." ~Wikipedia
Which for me means the following are all par for the course:
- Camp, as in wikipedia def'n: "Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing or humorous because of its ridiculousness to the viewer." Ham it up, that's fine, but let's still pretend these are real people acting to the best of their abilities in a world governed by cause-and-effect (unless the Danger Engineer gets all quantum-entangled)
- Melodrama! Romance! There is this trait "sexy", as we all know, and there is this character goal "Meet sexy aliens", so, yeah. I will not shy away from this threshold. Be afraid.
- Handwavium/Technobabble/Comic Book Physics
- ... and more! You are welcome to note below what else you think is worth highlighting.
A game like this will naturally not overly dwell on the dark side of things; gore, profanity, real-world allegories might be in short supply.
Huzzah!
----
What do ya think? Feel like slipping into your space spandex, setting your phase pistol to fun, and having some close encounters of the action-packed-saturday-serial kind? Zipping between galaxies, meeting strange new lifeforms, and occasionally bopping them on their weird-looking foreheads? If you're ready for Adventure! then read that free, one-page role-playing game linked up top, then beam back down here and Sign up! with your character's Style & Role or some ideas of what you want to play.
EDIT: All slots filled! Feel free to message me if you'd like to Reserve a spot should someone drop or become unavailable.
Now! The crew is:
@weirdspaceships as
@boozer as'Doc' Dueteronomy the Android Doctor
Number: 5
Goal: Become Captain
@Kirindal asVlad 'Drac' Casimir the Hot-Shot Pilot
Number: 3
Goal: Meet Sexy Aliens
@The Everyman asBaron Halcyon the Savvy Envoy
Number: 2
Goal: Bring Glory to the Consortium
@Void Slayer asColl' the Alien Scientist
Number: 4
Goal: Solve weird space mysteries!
@Plutonium asDGOA-23-b 'Dack' the Android Soldier
Number: 3
Goal: Prove yourself
Tesseract 'Tessa' Straylight the Sexy Engineer
Number: 4
Goal: Prove the ship my father designed is the best!
And they will be rocketing into adventure on-board the
I.C.S. Starwisp
A well-armed scout with superior sensors, known to be a real fuel hog.
AlfredR on
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Posts
Totally calling Android Doctor!
Leaning towards a Hot-shot Pilot.
PSN: Boozer_777
PSN: Boozer_777
The web RNG tells me I should be the Savvy Envoy.
We are the Alien Scientist.
PSN: Boozer_777
Two androids? Yes. Android Soldier.
Flying by the book, I imagine, will be Lasers. The usual sci fi standbys of venting plasma to increase thrust, plotting a course that skirts a stars corona, using minimal power to go unnoticed when jetting between asteroids in enemy space...
Feelings is definitely also doable, but probably for those moments when the plan breaks down and you're flying by gut. It's for "I'm a leaf on the wind" moments of crazy flying or creative flying.
Star Trek has lots of Laser piloting. Star Wars has tons of Feelings piloting. Apollo from BSG flies with Lasers. Starbuck from BSG flies with Feelings (Arguably).
So: both are awesome and both work for a Hot-Shot Pilot. That help?
I shall be the Sexy Engineer
Quick Character to start us off:
Character Goal: Overcome vague daddy issues Prove the ship my father designed is the best!
The Network's Super-Secret Goal:
Hot-Shot Pilot
"100% genetic compatibility? Booooring."
Name: Vlad 'Drac' Casimir
Style: Hot-Shot
Role: Pilot
Number: 3
Goal: Meet Sexy Aliens
PSN: Boozer_777
I'm off to work right now. Gimme a little while and I'll move us along to the next important stuff.
1. Style
2. Role
3. Number [Remember: a HIGH number is better for lasers (roll low to succeed at Lasers); a LOW number is better for feelings (you want to roll high for Feelings)]
4. A cool spacey name to go with Tessa Straylight and 'Drac' Casimir
5. A character goal!
Also, please provide me with...
Your top three choices for the scout ship's specific strengths, and two choices for weaknesses. I'll just tally up votes for these, unless someone else wants to kick off a formal conversation to choose (tallying is faster).
Also, hey, I'm not married to the name RAPTOR for the scout ship. @Plutonium give me a new name if you want -- Tessa's dad made it, after all.
Everyone else: is Captain Darcy a man or woman?
Ship Weaknesses: Grim Reputation, Fuel Hog
Captain Darcy is a woman
PSN: Boozer_777
2. Doctor.
3. 5.
4. Deuteronomy-Class Medical Android Module 1446X-A. "Dueteronomy" for short. Or "Doc."
5. Become captain.
He's totally great at logic and smarts and tech stuff, but just doesn't understand people at all. You remember the hologram doctor from that one Star Trek? It's like that but bumped up to 11. He misses social cues, although he is technically programmed to be able to interact socially, in a limited capacity. He just doesn't understand much, and what he doesn't understand, he chalks up as "eh, whatever."
Competent doctor, able to pitch in and help out with anything tech-ey that an android might be useful with.
Secretly is a little more aware than he lets on. Wants to become captain, but won't say so. He secretly knows the Something Else will irreparably damage Captain Darcy [note: Alfred, taking liberties here, push back as you need to!] and that the good Captain may need to be euthanized should she wake up. So Deuteronomy must save the crew, as he is programmed to do, by leading them. It is the only way.
Ship stuff: nimble, powerful shields, superior sensors.
Bad ship stuff: grim reputation, horrible circuit breakers.
Darcy be a lady, y'all.
Role: Envoy
Number: 2
Name: Baron Halcyon
Character Goal: Bring glory to my name the Consortium.
Ship Strengths: Fightercraft, Superior Sensors, Well-Armed
Ship Weaknesses: Horrible Circuit Breakers, Fuel Hog
Role: Scientist
Number: 4
Name: "The Collective Sixth Most Illustrious Extra-Hive Surveyor in the Service of Our Cherished Gel-Queen"... or Coll' for short.
Biological Goal: Harvest xeno-genetic data for Our Cherished Gel-Queen.
Societal Goal: Study the ways of the Consortium and all lifeforms in its service.
Personal Goal: Solve weird space mysteries!
The Collective is not a single entity, but a melded colony of giant, semi-transparent amoeba-like organisms. The gels communicate via vibration, pheromones, and bio-luminescence, which are approximately translated by the crews' communicators (thank Gel-Queen). Although the Collective is genderless, the colony has nonetheless morphed into their vacc-suit as a vaguely slender humanoid shape, with feminine curves and unnervingly small waist.
Ship Strengths: Nimble / Superior Sensors / Cloaking Device
Ship Weaknesses: Fuel Hog / Grim Reputation
EDIT
Rocking the boat: Darcy's a man.
I am so happy we have a sexy gelatinous scientist on board. The ship wouldn't be complete, otherwise.
So, current tallies (still needing Void Slayer's vote):
Darcy: 2 M/3 F
Ship Stuff: Nimble 3/Superior Sensors 3/Well-Armed 3/Cloaking Device 3/Fightercraft 1/Powerful Shields 1/Fast 1
Bad Ship Stuff: Fuel Hog 4/Grim Rep 3/Horrible Circuit Breakers 3
Edit: I figure on ties, I'll make a decision from the contenders, if that's all right with folks.
So, @Void Slayer needs to choose two ship features of these four:
Nimble, Superior Sensors, Well-Armed, Cloaking Device
And unless Void ties it up by really really wanting a Grim rep or bad circuit breakers (in which case I'd choose the result), the ship's problem is it is just such a Fuel Hog.
And the gender is basically decided at this point. If Void ties it, I know what I'm picking. If Void doesnt, I know what wins! So, the captain will be Captain Miranda Darcy.
Fast/Well Armed/Cloaking Device
Bad Stuff:
Fuel Hog/Horrible Circuit Breakers
Darcy is a dude, though I don't think my vote matters at this point.
I'll let you come up with something suitably campy for the ship's name.
I figure on ties, I'll make a decision from the contenders, if that's all right with folks.
So, @Void Slayer needs to choose two ship features of these four:
Nimble, Superior Sensors, Well-Armed, Cloaking Device
And unless Void ties it up by really really wanting a Grim rep or bad circuit breakers (in which case I'd choose the result), the ship's problem is it is just such a Fuel Hog.
And the gender is basically decided at this point. If Void ties it, I know what I'm picking. If Void doesn't, I know what wins! So, the captain will be Captain Miranda Darcy.
@Plutonium After a lot of soul searching, internet slogging, and random die rolling -- how about the Interstellar Scout Ship Starwisp?
Role: Soldier
Number: 3
Name: Dack or DGOA-23-b he answers to either
Personal Goal: Prove Yourself
Dack is still paying off his construction indenture-ship and was hired/acquired by Darcy. The consortium crew members treat him pretty well, except when his odd actions show just how inhuman he is under the false skin. This model was designed as a general service semi-organic android but proved too emotional to be "marketable" and poor at mimicking human behavior. After escaping his work area several times, Dack was offered freedom if he could buy his way out with a loan. He has little marketable skills rght now besides combat but is enjoying the chance to learn on the ship and figure out where he belongs.
A Well-Armed ship with Superior Sensors is what I was planning on choosing anyway.
I'll have some establishing questions for you at my next opportunity (working today at some other site, so I'll be less available than usual) and then we'll boogie!
Sorry for the inconvenience! Thanks for your patience!
@weirdspaceships
Doc, what's up with an android doctor on a Consortium ship? I mean: is that normal; does every Consortium vessel get a robo-doc? Are you a unique experiment, part of what makes the Starwisp special? Or are you just a normal crewman like everybody else? How do you feel about Dack (vis a vis you, as a doctor, saving lives, and Dack, as a soldier, shooting faces)? Tell me about Medpods -- your ship has them, after all.
@boozer
Drac, lets talk starships. Tell me the shitty sci-fi name for how it gets from star to star. Like, does it use a Warp Factor to surpass the speed of light? Do you check some star charts, spool up an FTL drive, and jump between points in space? Do you glide through a thing called Hyperspace, or open a Lightbridge, initiate a Gravitic Shunt, or some other completely awesome nonsense? Also: what's your stupidest/awesomest piloting moment that made you the best damn candidate for Darcy's command? Also: how about the fine lookin' Collective scientist on board, eh? EH?
@Kirindal
Baron, is Baron a super cool space name or is it a title (you can never be too sure in spaaaaaaace after all)? If its a title, tell me about your titles territory(s). What was first contact like for the Collective of gel aliens and the Consortium? Peaceful, bloody, accidental, curious? How do you feel about the alien Coll's presence on the Starwisp, and about the Collective in general? Also: What was your relationship with Captain Miranda Darcy like? How did your "First Contact Protocol" go with Something Else? Are you the reason Darcy is afflicted? Or did you stop it from killing her outright? Or what? What happened?
@The Everyman
Coll', tell me how the Consortium and the Collective view each other. Is the Collective part of the Consortium, or an independent body, or what? Is this a "recent first contact" situation or something? Or is the Starwisp crew maybe a collaboration between unsteady allies (like Klingons and Federation in TNG)? And if you had to pick a quality the Collective almost comedically hyperbolized (Vulcans are mega logic, Klingons are mega violent, etc), what is it? Finally: as a sexless amoeba, what's really really weird about humans?
@Plutonium
Tessa, we know the Starwisp has awesome sensors, awesome weapons, has medical pods, and is a huge fuel hog. Is all that standard, or your Dad's handiwork? Do interstellar ships usually consume energy crystals? What exactly makes the Starwisp his design? Was he lead designer, or part of a team but hes the genius who made it work or something? Is the Starwisp the first of its class? Or what? What makes it special? Also, what's the real name for the "super-sweet space-phone-camera- communicator-scanner thing (with universal translator)" that everyone is issued?
@Void Slayer
Dack, what's the actual name for the "variable setting phase pistol (usually set to stun)" that you (presumably) specialize in, as the resident Soldier? What kind of super awesome armaments does your well-armed scout ship have? How do you feel about Dueteronomy's extremely logical (and more typical) android outlook on crisis situations, especially considering your own emotions/passions? Do you feel like you sometimes have to "live up" to Dueteronomy's example of "androidness?" How do you feel about Captain Miranda Darcy, now comatose? Why couldn't/didn't you save her from Something Else? Do you blame yourself?
Everybody! is there a particular tic that your character has, as is typical for these sorts of space opera shenanigans? Do you always "have a bad feeling about this?" Or maybe you're "givin' 'er all shea's got, captain!" Or maybe you over-exaggerate points with strange hand gestures? Characterize yourself to us -- what tics, quirks, accents, or catchphrases make you recognizable?
Some higher-ups, when fitting out crews and ships, require at least X amount of androids on the ship, for whatever reason. Usually cost, as denoted above, or quota (they have to make the department that researches these things seem useful, after all). Then again, some higher-ups say, "I ain't puttin' no robot chef on my ship. They can't taste the food like people can. They can't put no heart in it like people can. You taste a steak? Like it came out a factory."
So Dueteronomy sat in a warehouse somewhere until called for.
But here's the thing: service robos - not freelance, but those built and managed by the Consortium - are forever linked up to their ships, and by extension, home. Updates and check-ins and so forth. But not Doc. Nothing in the medical bay is, actually. Home thinks they're looking at the ship, but they're not. A decoy.
In fact, Doc slipped around when everyone was asleep and rigged up a number of the ship's systems to do just that: be independent, and to not report their statuses home. Nothing major that would get noticed, but nevertheless, some important things.
This ship will be his.
==========
Everyone thinks that since they're both androids, they must hang out together. Oh, how he gets that, day to day. He doesn't care one wit about Dack, except that he knows he's dangerous, and to keep an eye on him. Certainly not someone you want angry at you. And as long as he doesn't make Doc's job complicated, he can do whatever he likes.
Medpods are comfortable and they constantly buffet a mixture of oxygenated "medicine" at you - regular oxygen, gaseous medicine, even a nutritional vapor that makes your body feel full and supplies you with all the essentials. An IV keeps you on fluids, and a catheter and "disposal unit" take care of your body's functions. It's all gross stuff, really. Every day, you get washed and cleaned and turned, when your medpod leaves its dock and slides to a special area of the showers located just next door of medbay, then returns you home. You sleep through all of it - heavy sedatives that, depending on how long you've been in for, will make you still groggy and sick a few days after you're healed. It's saved for people that need to rest, or people who need long-term care, or people that need to wait while the Doc figures his shit out. It doesn't fix you, it just keeps you stable.
===========
Let's see: Dueteronomy is very HAL-esque, with his quiet monotones and creepy, blank-eyed behavior. He's every out-of-touch-with-humanity robot you've ever seen.
He fails on most social cues, asking seemingly stupid, innocent questions, demanding further elaboration, and comically missing the point. However, engage in certain topics, and he has a creepy intensity to his words that unsettles you real, real fast.
(I took some liberties to include Coll in my answers, I can edit if need be)
Like most Starships in the Consortium, Warp drive is the standard FTL solution. Fast, reliable, and effective. Gravitic Impellers are used for sublight maneuvering. However, one of the elements that make the Starwisp unique, besides our Armageddon class munitions, is the the experimental Quantum Tunneling Navcom we're testing. The tunneling effect was discovered decades ago, but the seemingly random destinations of the tunnels made them unsuitable for sentient travel. At least, that's what the Consortium thought until it encountered the Collective, which use the vastly superior Quantum Tunnels as their primary mode of FTL transport. So, along with the advanced sensor suite reverse engineered from Collective technology, we have our very own Collective Scientist to help us perfect the interface. While Tessa or the Doc might be able to make sense of the Tunnel readings, only Coll is really qualified to run the Tunneler Navcom tests. Any mishaps are blamed on our laughably primitive technology, of course.
---
Vlad 'Drac' Casimir - Bio
Wing Commander Casimir, call-sign Drac, while only graduating in the 30th percentile, achieved top marks in both virtual and live flight/combat maneuvers. With experience as both a Test Pilot and a Starfighter Commander in the Consortium Defense Force, he is an excellent candidate for promotion to Pilot of the experimental interstellar Starship Starwisp, effective immediately.
Bio Addendum, Encryption Level Kappa 177, Captain Darcy's Eyes Only
Commander Casimir's previous assignment was as Commander of the defense Starfighter wing attached to the science station Far Horizon, in the Selunda Cluster located near the edge of Consortium space. While media reports of the Far Horizon's evacuation were blamed on consumption by a COrrosive Mist of Animal Level Intelligence (COMALI), this was a fabrication intended to protect the public from the truth. Commander Casimir and his wing were able to prevent the capture of the station and crew by a previously unknown species of humanoid pirates and slavers, hereafter referred to as the Viridians. While Casimir and his wing were able to repel the attack and warn the station in time for it's evacuation, Commander Casimir himself was captured and the rest of his wing destroyed as reinforcements arrived. According to Commander Casimir's debriefing the Viridians are 'beautiful and bloodthirsty' with an almost instinctive 'psychic ability to seduce'. Commander Casimir was able to escape after a month of captivity, delivering vital intelligence data and a Viridian figtercraft. Commander Casimir claims he was aided in his escape after seducing some of his captors, but such claims are unconfirmed. When asked how he avoided the Viridian psychic seduction, Casimir claimed that his instinct to 'avoid eye contact and instead talk to their [REDACTED]' likely saved him.
For saving the Far Horizon and it's crew, Commander Casimir has earned himself a promotion to Starship Captain. For violating 8 Rules of Engagement and 4 First Contact protocols, Captain Casimir has been immediately demoted to Starship Pilot and his account stricken from the public record.
After repeated incursions in the Selunda Cluster the Far Horizon was evacuated and purposely destroyed. The Selunda Cluster is now contested territory and all scientific and exploratory missions in the area are suspended. Knowledge of the Viridians and their psychic abilities are considered Top Secret Kappa, NEED TO KNOW authorization required.
In the unlikely event Viridians are encountered, Captain is authorized to instruct the crew to avoid eye contact and instead talk to their [REDACTED].
Bio Addendum, Encryption Level Zeta 519
Transcribed excerpt from audio interview:
I: "So Vlad, you've been Piloting the Starwisp for a month now, what do you think?"
C: "Call me Drac. So you guys didn't tell me that the Scientist on this bucket was so damn pneumatic *whistles*. The Engineer aint too bad either actually. Some perks to being shunted off into Deep Space huh?"
I: *shuffles some papers* "Wait, you're referring to the Collective in your crew?"
C: "Yes sir, have you seen what she's been morphing into lately?" *sends an image* "I wonder if she'd be into making a uh temporary, recreational copy of herself? I should ask."
I: "You realize the Collective are sexless, correct? That 'Coll' is there to help design a Quantum Tunnel Navcom for Consortium use? Not satisfy your perverse curiosity?"
C: "Perverse? Relaaaax, Coll don't care. Hell, can't a guy dream? Maybe if I tell her it's for science. Hmmmm. Whelp, gotta go- *click*"
I: "Shit."
Psychological Profile:
Casimir is overconfident, prone to exaggeration, disregards regulations, and distrusts authority. However, Casimir is also extremely capable under fire, has excellent instincts and leadership skills, and is loyal to both his crew and the Consortium.
No reports of sexual misconduct have been filed against him, and all rumors of inappropriate intra-crew relations have been dubbed hearsay and unconfirmed.
PSN: Boozer_777
For Immediate Publication
Arcturo Straylight, Secretary-General of CASA, announced today his prediction that the quantum barrier will be broken within the next six months. Professor Straylight, making a rare public appearance and wearing the standard hardhat of the engineers of the Consortium Astronomy and Space Agency, claimed that his theorized Quantum Reactor, long speculated on but dismissed by many as a ludicrous pipe-dream, had in fact been under construction in an undisclosed CASA location. The prototype Quantum Reactor, Professor Straylight claimed, had just completed initial testing, meeting and exceeding all expectations. The next step, according to Straylight, was to install it in one of the new Star Class Consortium Starships.
A Quantum Tunneling Drive, Straylight explained, was something he always knew was possible. "The Collective have been quantum tunneling for centuries, due to the unique wavelength band they, as energetic beings, exist upon. But the energy requirements for you and me to travel by Quantum Tunnel was, according to the so-called conventional wisdom and statements of my less imaginative peers, unachievable. I will prove them wrong."
Many remember Professor Straylight for his other achievements, such as discovering a way to crystallize Ekathorium, allowing the valuable interstellar element to serve as starship fuel, for his innovative solution to Warp Sickness, and for his invention of the Vodakoder, an instantaneous translater, analyzer, and communicator. Professor Straylight is a widower of 14 years and has one daughter, Tesseract, 23, who was reached out for comment. Tesseract, a comely girl who is receiving her PhD in Experimental Warp Engineering next month, said that the "theory is sound, though the Ekathorium consumption rate is somewhat problematic" and also that her father "would see that [she] couldn't be ignored" and that she was planning to "join the fleet, and get [herself] blown up if that was what it takes." We presume this means the younger Straylight intends to follow in her father's footsteps and make a name for herself as well.
Following his short statement, Professor Straylight quickly exited, presumably to return to his work on the Quantum Reactor.
The pistol is called an Electron Accelerator Multi-Partical Projector or EAMPP, on a low setting it forcefully polarizes a portion of the target, causing an electrical discharge and a taser like effect. On a high setting it bombards the target with exotic high energy particles. It is not the most deadly or quick weapon, but it is both durable and accurate so useful for a crew which is minimally trained in combat. It can also be adjusted to fire many different types of energy.
The scout ship has multiple weapons systems, unusual for a ship of it's size. In addition to the standard high energy laser array, it has a miniature plasma missile system and retractable magnetic rail guns which shoot ultra dense poly-blend slugs. The weapon systems are designed to protect against a wide range of stellar phenomena, but prove a versatile armament against the enemies of the Consortium.
Miranda Darcy gave me a chance to choose my own path rather then one laid out for me. I do not know why she treated me with respect unlike many of the humans I came into contact with, but the feelings of admiration and subservience I felt around her were new and interesting.
I am still agonizing over the decision to not enter the cargo bay where the Captain had her confrontation with Something Else. She ordered me to stay out, which made no sense logically, I am a security android, meant to go in where humans are in danger. I do not think I could have done anything to stop what happened, and yet I wish I had gone in anyway. I seem to be stuck in an emotional-logical loop regarding the event.
Dueteronomy is clearly a much more advanced android then myself, built as a part of the ship not an experiment, it is logical and never seems swayed by passing emotions. I wish to figure out a place in the universe the way it has and feel jealous that it was so easily integrated into a position it was designed for. While I have been trying to live up to Dueteronomy's behavior in a practical sense, Baron Halcyon's human behavior has proven much more interesting to imitate in an attempt to better blend in with the crew.
Dack often laughs inappropriately and likes to express verbally exactly what he is feeling, loudly. He is very good at mimicking physical movements observed the same way a computer might mimic data, but he has a hard time improvising on them.
{{... Vodakoder v7.23 online ... Welcome Consortium Officer Richards ... ... Unrecognized xeno-expressions detected ... Calibrating drivers ... LOADING >> 5% ... 29% ... 66% ... 81% ... ERROR 201-b INCOMPATIBLE EXPRESSIONS >> LEXICON INCOMPLETE ... Would you like you continue with {approximations}? [Y/N] ...}}
"Salutations directed towards you {sentient organics; xeno-souls; fellow sisters}! We are The Collective First Most Esteemed Extra-Solar Voyage Overseer in the Service of Our Cherished Gel-Queen. We provide immense gratitude for your hospitality. Our {nesting site; tenement cell; personal quarters} have proven to be most accommodating! We are pleased to be The Collective {...} Voyage Overseer {...} that you have first encountered! One thousand pardons for our lack of delay, but we wish for you to experience the {regurgitation; prostration; sweet song} of our {harrowing; arousing; exciting} journey!"
-Officer Richards startles as a long pseudopod of the amorphous gel slides forward, the velvety smooth flagella covering The Collective tickling Richards as it envelops his hand and absorbs the Vodakoder into its cavity. Dozens of motes of light twirl and tinkle beneath the blue-green semi-permeable membrane as The Collective inspects the object. Sudden and unexpected the gel morphs shape, membrane thickening as it grows into a rough human facsimile, Vodakoder taking its place on The Collective's "forearm".-
"In our home {galaxy; hive; dimension} Our Cherished Gel-Queen {encompasses; consumes; tenderly embraces} all things, all life. For eons our {...} queen has existed, churning forth beautiful gel-kin to spread her {love; influence; dominance} across the stars. Our queen is infinite, but her hive is not. Eventually the stars ended, and beyond them only the cold void remained. So it was that our gorgeous queen taught her children the gift of {fardreaming; star-burrowing; Quantum Tunneling}, sending we gel-kin out beyond the void to discover new {sentient lifeforms; biomass; genetic-treasures} and instructing us to {... ERROR 34-a ... {indoctrinate; harvest} ... {envelop; love; worship} ... {;unspecified;%^} ...}."
"As The Collective Voyage Overseer, we have navigated our {star-hive; generation ship; Quantum Tunneler} far across the stars to your home galaxy. It is our gift to {The Consortium} to educate you in our queen's ways of greater star-voyage. Upon your satisfaction, it is our responsibility to {unleash; disembark; separate from} The Collective Illustrious Surveyors. They will remain in this galaxy with you after we depart, helping you continue your understanding of {Quantum Tunneling} and exploring your stars in the Service of Our Cherished Gel-Queen. We pray that you accept. One hundred thousand pardons, but your refusal would {be sorrowful; cause withering; inflict pain}..."
---- ---- ---- ----
ITERATION TWO - THE SIXTH MOST ILLUSTRIOUS SURVEYOR
There are relatively few of the Collective working inside Consortium space, perhaps as many as twenty but at least six separate entities. It's often difficult for humans to tell one Collective from the other, and it is purported that they are prone meld and separate again, furthering confusion of an 'individual'. Only in the cramped quarters of a ship when one of the Collective is assigned to the crew do the behavior and personalities of the gels become most apparent.
A number of the crew aboard the Starwisp have remarked upon the immense inquisitive nature expressed by the Collective Surveyor. Coll' is extremely curious about the new situation they find themselves in, often to a fault. When intrigued or entertained by a quirk of human character or display of unknown technology, Coll's attention is easily diverted. The concept of personal space means little to the gelatinous crewmember, and becoming overly invasive in their inspections and curiosity has lead to not a small number of uncomfortable interactions.
This may have a great deal to do with Coll's view of the purely alien behavior demonstrated by humans. Thinking of each crewmember as an entire individual is difficult for the gel. Coll' finds it vexing how often humans (all in Service of the Consortium, no less!) seem to disagree and experience inter-crew strife, even when working to achieve the very same goal! So many conflicting emotions, experiences, histories, and outlooks, it's boggling. No doubt Coll' must undergo closer research to truly understand the nature of the human organisms. At the very least, they are entertaining!
Do we figure its hundreds, like the original 1701 Enterprise? Or maybe you seven and a handful of assistants each? Or something like that?
I would say around 100 people?
PSN: Boozer_777
We can definitely keep it just the six of you+Darcy.
I'm also down for a hundred-ish support staff for babysitting the experimental quantum tunneler navcom -- it gives me redshirts to expend to reveal when bad stuff is happened.
Sounds good.
If @Kirindal can answer me about Baron Halcyon, then I think I'll be set to go! Mostly, I just need to be filled in about what happened with Something Else so I can frame an opening scene! If you want, Kiridal, you can tell me pass, I'll make up some details and scoot along and grill you about Baron Halcyon next chance I get.