Chapter 1: A Celestial Odyssey

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Dec 15, 2023 6:18 pm
Jil takes the opportunity to familiarize herself with the ship.

Dec 15, 2023 6:58 pm
Douklan composes a report that he's settled in and begun his mission and delivers it to the Sentinel, either as a hand-written report via the docking tube if it's still coupled or via tight-beam laser if the ships are separated but still in visual range. Then, out of habit, he watches the crew power up the synth pilots and go through their safety and cognition start up routines. It was drilled into him in the Navy that a ship is only as sound as its pilot, and there is persistent Navy scuttlebutt about pilot synths who went rogue. Douklan knows these are likely fictions, but he still likes to know who is piloting them when they're asleep.

Finally, Douklan will update his journal with some excitement, thrilled at the idea of doing some exploration (and also some mercantile experimentation) at last.
Dec 15, 2023 7:15 pm
Hank, you do that. Everything is good to go.

Jil, you look around. Gimme a Notice roll.
htech sent a note to ImperfectBeing
Douklan, the report was sent using tight-beam and an encryption device that you brought. You have the Sentinel confirmation of receipt and the means to contact them, using a secure channel, anytime you need.
OOC:
We will roleplay the synth power up soon, I feel that's something relevant to show :)
Dec 15, 2023 7:26 pm
Mariella spends a while admiring the art collection in the cargo hold. It's far less productive than whatever the others might be doing, but she is unsure if she is still a proper member of the crew - while she doubts the Captain will mind her helping out, she is uncertain about the other's reaction, especially those that she hadn't met during her own time on board. So, art watching it is.

After enough time has been spent, Mariella will go to check up on Professor Stone, see if she needs anything. While Mariella is certain the Professor can take care of herself, she also has been assigned to her safety, so she will gladly help out with whatever the archeologist might need.

Gabriel "Gabe" Reyes

htech

Dec 16, 2023 12:37 am
Trade Era 1235, Day 119

Celestial Voyager, leaving orbit of New Jordan

With the ship already en route to the nearest jump point, Gabe, the ship's first officer, briskly moved through the metallic corridors of the Celestial Voyager, heading towards the engineering section. The hum of the ship's systems grew louder as he approached the designated area where the Synths were kept during transit.
Gabriel "Gabe" Reyes

Upon entering the engineering room, Gabe made his way to the console controlling the activation sequence for the four Synths. The humanoid figures lay dormant, their synthetic skin almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Gabe, a seasoned officer accustomed to the routine of initializing these artificial crew members, began the sequence.

A soft whirr filled the room as the Synths came to life. Their eyes, fixed and unmoving, blinked once, a sign of their systems booting up. The chamber gradually illuminated as their artificial intelligence interfaced with the ship's mainframe.

Gabe monitored the diagnostic readings, ensuring each Synth was functioning optimally. The first to fully activate was Synth-Alpha, followed by Synths Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Their movements were precise, calculated, devoid of any human-like idiosyncrasies.

"Synths online, Captain," Gabe announced over the intercom.

Captain Zaytsev acknowledged from the bridge, "Good. Ensure they run the preliminary checks and report any anomalies. We need them in top condition for the journey."

Gabe nodded and began overseeing the Synths as they initiated their self-diagnostic routines. The hum of machinery and the occasional electronic beep filled the engineering room. Douklan, having overheard the commotion, entered cautiously, observing the artificial crew members. Erin was also there, storing some spare parts in the engineering lockers.

As the Synths completed their checks, Gabe addressed them, "Synths, report status."

In unison, the artificial voices of the Synths echoed through the chamber, "Systems operating within optimal parameters. No anomalies detected."

"Good, please check the cryo-chambers and prepare to freeze our guests for the hyperspace jump. Begin with Professor Stone and Mariella."
OOC:
Douklan / Erin, what do you do?

Professor Evelyn Stone

htech

Dec 16, 2023 12:48 am
Professor Evelyn Stone
The Synths, their metallic forms moving efficiently through the utilitarian corridors of the Celestial Voyager, reached their designated areas, while Beta went to Professor Stone's crew cabin. The heavy blast door slid open with a mechanical groan, revealing the dimly lit, cluttered interior.

Inside the cabin, Professor Stone looked up from her datapad. Synth-Beta's calm voice resonated in the confined space, "Professor Stone, it's time for cryo-sleep."

Acknowledging the Synth, the professor rose from her chair, and Beta assisted in connecting the necessary medical monitors. The atmosphere was stark, with wires and pipes crisscrossing the narrow cabin, specially near the cryo-chamber.

Mariella, checking on Professor Stone, found herself at the doorway at exactly this time. Synth-Beta, recognizing Mariella's presence, instructed, "Please, kindly help Professor Stone enter the cryo-chamber. Ensure she's comfortable."

"Will it hurt
?" Evelyn, suddenly uncertain about the journey, questioned.

"Absolutely not. You won't feel a thing," reassured Beta.

Having traveled extensively, Mariella knew exactly what to do, and guided Professor Stone toward the cryo-chamber, its transparent lid opening with mechanical precision. A dim blue light bathed the interior, providing an almost surreal atmosphere.

"Safe journey, Professor Stone. Continuous monitoring will be maintained," intoned Synth-Beta.

The cryo-chamber's lid closed, sealing the professor within its cold embrace.

"Let's go to your cabin, Mariella. It's your turn now."

As Mariella left Evelyn's cabin, she found Jil in the corridor, walking around and familiarizing herself with the ship.
OOC:
What do you do?
Dec 16, 2023 2:14 am
Douklan fixes in his mind which nearly-human features belonged to which synth: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. He knew that they were effectively one mind with the ship, so addressing one was pretty much the same as addressing another, but they looked close enough to people that it was natural to show them respect and autonomy. The old Destroid habits died hard, and in the Belt, politeness and proper address were necessary to avoid slights that might erupt at any moment into violent conflict. So he'd address them by their names as individuals, even though he knows that many others might find it odd.

In the Navy, the synths would check the status of the captain first, but the revivals would start with the first officer, as he was considered more expendable in case of a problem with the process. The first officer would then evaluate if the situation warranted reviving the Captain and the rest of the crew. Douklan has no idea whether the protocol is the same here on a merchant/research vessel. Finding no delicate way to broach the subject, he decided just to ask Gabe: "You're the last one down and the first one up again, Gabe?"

Erin Brand

daryen

Dec 16, 2023 3:17 am
Erin Brand
Erin had never seen the boot up sequence of the synths before, despite having been on the ship for a year. She took the opportunity to watch the process and take it in. She then finished storing the equipment. When done, she asks Gabe, "Is there anything else I need to attend to before heading back to my cabin."

Gabriel "Gabe" Reyes

htech

Dec 16, 2023 9:24 am
Gabriel "Gabe" Reyes
Quote:
"You're the last one down and the first one up again, Gabe?"
"Actually no. I used to be, but not since I became the first officer a couple of years ago. Here, this 'honor' goes to the chief engineer, Corbin, as he is the one responsible for the overall ship's maintenance and the Synths. I'm now the third or fourth in line, depending on the situation."
Quote:
"Is there anything else I need to attend to before heading back to my cabin."
"That will be all, Erin, thank you."
Dec 16, 2023 8:43 pm
Corbin stands at the main Engineering console watching the status readouts for the ship and the Cyro pods. One by one they switch from Off, to On,to Initiating Cycle and finally to Stable. Stable being an interesting word for frozen to within a heart beat of death. Once everyone is down, he proceeds to his pod. Seeing Synth-Alpha prepping his pod he nods. "Hello James, everything in order?"

"Of course it is sir, I know you just came from the Engineering Panel. If something were amiss, you'd have summoned me there to discuss it." Corbin chuckles at the Synth's lack of humor, or maybe it was just dryer houmor than most people would understand. As he entered the pod, he wondered again if anyone else knew the Synth's names. He only used them when the rest of the crew was under.
Last edited December 16, 2023 8:44 pm
Dec 17, 2023 5:52 pm
OOC:
Nice post Esidrix :). I'll wait for Jil and Mariella before the jump.
Dec 18, 2023 2:46 pm
Having systematically walked the ship, or as much as possible in the time allowed, Jil goes through her own cryo preparation routine (6 years in the Navy has made the whole process fairly mundane to her).

Rolls

Notice - (1d20)

(13) = 13

Secret Roll

Dec 18, 2023 4:19 pm
Douklan returns to his bunk and makes sure everything is stowed and tidy before he writes another letter to Farchelle. They've grown apart over the past six years, but she is a connection to home, and they've developed and maintained a correspondence. Though they're the same age, it feels to Douklan that she's so much older, because so much of his life is spent asleep. Years of his life, at this point. He wonders how long it'll be before he can send these letters or receive another letter from her. She's married now, and has two children, both of whom have seen several Rain Days and are now old enough to be in school. To Douklan it feels like only a year has passed.

He also notes in his journal his impressions of the crew and other passengers: these are the people who will be his main companions for a year or more, experiencing life at the same intervals. He'd better get to know them.

Stowing his journal and letters, Douklan then heads to his cryo pod and starts the initialization sequence.
Dec 18, 2023 4:46 pm
Jil, you look around the starship and find nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seems to be fine.
OOC:
This notice was DC 15, so you failed. On the bright side, you receive 1 XP.
htech sent a note to ImperfectBeing
OOC:
@ImperfectBeing when possible, please create a (new?) character sheet using the game character template, available in the Chargen thread. It has formulas there that can help us roll the dice by just clicking a button. I'm not really sure that your Notice roll was correct, but will follow along either way. If it was wrong... Like Jil, we also get XP from mistakes ;).
Dec 19, 2023 12:22 am
Trade Era 1235, Day 130

Celestial Voyager, Draco system

Corbin awoke with a gradual return to consciousness, the hum of machinery and the subdued lighting of the cryo-chamber surrounding him. The cold, mechanical stillness of the pod contrasted with the liveliness of his awakening mind. Stretching his stiff limbs, he prepared to exit the chamber, anticipating the routine check-in with Synth-Alpha.

As the cryo-pod door hissed open, the chief engineer found himself greeted by the metallic presence of Synth-Alpha. "Good to see you again, sir. Status report: all systems are stable, and we've arrived at the Draco system as scheduled."

Corbin acknowledged the information, his gaze flickering to the status displays.
OOC:
Status sheet updated
"Any issues during the jump?" - he asked, seeing some warnings and notes.

"Everything was smooth until the port side compression coil acted up again. We handled the repair and the identification of the root cause - the nearest capacitor was also broken. Everything is good now, but you'll need to purchase new replacement parts, we have no spares left. Our current position is 2 Astronomical Units from the star. There is a starport in Draco I, where, supposedly, you can buy it." James informed him.

"We will now revive the remainder of the crew, returning to synth hibernation mode after that. Safe travels, sir."

Trade Era 1235, Day 130

Mess hall, Celestial Voyager, Draco system

In the heart of the Celestial Voyager, Captain Valeria's voice echoed through the intercom, summoning the crew, Mariella, and Douklan to the mess hall again. She explained the situation of the coils and continued:

"Gabe, please ready the cargo shuttle for a trip to Draco I. We require supplies, but maintain a discreet profile. We don't want undue attention in this system. I need a pilot and volunteers to go with Gabe. You can engage in speculative trading, but take care, I don't want anything risky. "

"In the meantime, I'll stay aboard the Celestial Voyager with the remaining crew, charting a course in the opposite direction, toward Draco III for a crucial refueling and to negotiate some mail transport with the Postal Authority Division. The Sentinel will accompany us towards the gas giant and the ITC station."
OOC:
What do you do? Who prefers to go where? I will create 2 new threads, 1 for each ship.
Dec 19, 2023 12:43 am
Corbin will be in Engineering running over the diagnostics again, figures we'd lose a capacitor. With no moving parts, some of those electrical items are hard to predict a failure. "Erin, run through the repair/spares list. Let's double check for any items we're at or below par values. Looks like we're on our last capacitor and where we're headed, resupply might not be a thing."
Dec 19, 2023 1:10 am
Hank says, "If you are up for it, Captain, I am would like to go. I can help with the purchasing, and pilot the shuttle, too. I can work with Erin to get the list of supplies."
OOC:
I have no idea who's a good pilot. Hank has actual skill, but no ability bonuses. I also don't know who all is going.
Hank works with Erin and Corbin to get the list created. He will also recommend getting extras to cover possible issues while they are out of supply.
Last edited December 19, 2023 1:10 am

Erin Brand

htech

Dec 19, 2023 1:10 am
"I can do that, sir, but I think Hank would do it faster and better... I'm not the most qualified for an inventory check. Can we ask him?"
OOC:
Hank, gimme a Bureaucracy check DC12
Erin Brand
Dec 19, 2023 1:14 am
OOC:
I thought we'd do the inventory first, then go get the stuff. If that's wrong, then I guess he stays with the ship. He still recommends both doing it, just to be safe.
Oh, heck, here's the roll, too.
Last edited December 19, 2023 1:16 am

Rolls

Hank Heron: Bureaucracy DC12 - (1d20+5)

(12) + 5 = 17

Dec 19, 2023 1:16 am
OOC:
Edited. You can go. We do a lot of simultaneous posts, Daryen. I wish I could see when you are writing something. :D
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