What's new
  • If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 April 2024 is YE 46.3 in the RP.

RP: Pisces Episode 01 - 'Under A Blind God'

F

FM

Inactive Member
OP THEME: Big City Rock - Human
(NOTE: Live version decidedly different in sequence than my playlist version)

<center>Rather than the standard opening sequence, we have what is best described as a 'lukewarm open'. The title card shows: 'Star Fortress Pisces'. We have external shots of the half-completed station, and we pan around it, ST:TMP style. Many technicians, mostly KFY, are working on the station's construction, and its various parts are seen. As the station shows, we have an acoustic version of the OP song, and the credits show overtop the action.

Soon, the station is shown from afar, in orbit, and the OP fades...and so does the picture.</center>
<center>* * *</center>
<center>A song is heard muffled as we get a first-person view from a swimmer, in a large, mostly empty pool room. The huge window, a strange sight in a space station, shows empty space filled with stars, and a blue planet below. The sounds of splashing are heard as the swimmer continues her laps.

The camera changes, and we see her from the outside view. A long-haired woman, like a goddess of the water, clearly an accomplished swimmer by her body type and technique, wearing a two-piece white swimsuit with blue trim. She is listening to music through headphones (waterproof, apparantly), and wears the rank pin of a Taisa of the 5th Expeditionary Fleet.

The song is now completely audible, and it is apparant that it is her theme. She is smiling - it seems that she enjoys this activity, and this song.</center>
MARINA'S THEME: Belanova - Tus Ojos

Taisa Marina Arisa...it had a good ring to it. Quite possibly because of the vowel-filled name she bore...but it mattered little. Like Tiberius before her, she now had her command, and even if it wasn't exactly what she expected, not even the KFY would dare to install a pool in a warship.

Pisces? It had three. One public, one for crew use...and she requested one, a small one, for her own personal use. This was the public one, and the largest, with a view of the cosmic blue outside...it was a pity that she wouldn't get to use it more.

Pisces Star Fortress, the newest initiative by the 1st Standard Fleet, was to be a haven for peace, even at a time of war. Diplomacy and civilian travel would be utmost here...for this reason, she gave the station the motto "Serenity in Chaos". It seemed appropriate.

The crew would be arriving soon...and without a KAMI unit, she would have nothing to announce it to her. She left the pool and grabbed her towel and hair dryer, and soon enough, she was dressed and out on the empty civilian section of Pisces, complete yet uninhabited. With her manner of dress, so exotic and fantastical, more fitting into some kind of fantasy anime than any kind of reality, she didn't seem to look at home in the station, or even the armed forces, let alone worthy to wear the rank of 'Taisa'.

Marina's smile, though and her shining violet eyes, said that she felt she was home. And she walked towards the airlock, soon expecting the first arrivals at the station...


<center>STAR FORTRESS PISCES - EPISODE 01
~UNDER A BLIND GOD~</center>
 
Camellia's theme: E Nomine - Mitternacht

YouTube Song Link

Well, the week was up and Camellia was on her way to her new assignment. The shuttle she was on was vacant, save for herself and the pilot, whom kept to himself, thus she was contently reading one of her books in silence while awaiting the call that they had docked. Occasionally she'd raise a hand to her lips, but that was soon followed by her flipping a page in the current book she was reading.

"This is the pilot speaking," a voice over the intercom stated neutrally, which gained Camellia's attention since it was fairly quiet in the passenger compartment. "We'll be arriving at Pisces station shortly, please make sure all belongings are accounted for before disembarking."

Closing her book with a soft slap, Camellia stowed it in the duffle bag she had opened at her feet and zipped it shut. She paused as she was bent over her bag. Sighing once, she sat back up and began to muse to herself. â€
 
Absolutely...nothing. Just the hum of engines degraded past hundreds of meters of bulkhead and empty space between the crew area and the reactor core. Why she'd chosen to arrive on a cargo ship was strange, but it was for her the most expedient way of reaching the station.

All roads lead to Rome, as the saying once was. Chief tugged at her uniform briefly, still after a year of wearing it finding the fit somewhat odd. She would've preferred a one-piece jumpsuit, loose fitting, or better yet, business casual. The new rank pin was somewhat of an uncomfortable thing as well. In any case she'd do her best to live up to expectations.

Once she had debarked from the cargo cruiser, and taken her first steps towards the upper echelons, Chief pulled a map from what existed of the station's computer system, and from there used a communications ping to triangulate her captain's location within the station. It was a bit of a chore but without an AI running things she would have to make do with techniques that most trainees forgot the moment they left basic.

After all, Chief was pragmatic. And as soon as she got the chance and approval she would be scrounging up something more appropriate to her duties, and seal away the official uniform to never be seen again except when duty required it.
 
After taking time to bit farewell to his family and grab the next ride out to Kyoto, Caine had spent some time carousing around the city to kill the time before he actually had to depart for the Pisces station. His mind constantly going over the quite bad interview he'd had a few days ago and somewhat dreaded actually going up to the Station to face down this woman in person. But he'd handled tough, cold females before, given by mostly avoiding them but that counted right? By the time it was time to depart the young Shoi had cleaned up his appearance largely and the like. He'd brought the bare essentials really, just a few small things from home and personal effects.

Taking the available transport up to Pisces, Caine was there on time. But this time he would get it right. And was wearing a freshly cleaned and pressed white-paneled uniform. There were only a few cosmetic changes really, his hair had grown out considerably as he wanted a fresh look to try and leave his past behind. His golden blonde hair was out long, hanging down just below his waist but bound in a ponytail by a silver ring at the base of his neck and again about 8 inches off the tip in back. He'd heard the news that this station wasn't complete which made it all too clear that things would be chaotic for a while. And no AI meant that the people he had to meet would be all that much harder to find. "Somehow, I expected it to be like this...â€
 
None

Navigation to the captain's location would be simple - as a security precaution during construction, there was only one active entrance to the main walkway of the station - the one Marina was standing right in front of. In theory, any intruder would have to go through there, so Ketsurui guard postings were there 24/7 to protect the station's systems from any potential saboteurs.

As for Marina herself, well, she was busy adjusting her clothing and hair to make herself presentable. Had to give a good impression to her crew, she did. It was rather lucky that several of her crewmen were arriving at the same time, and she wouldn't have to perform as many repeat briefings.

Things are going smoothly for now...let's hope they continue that way.
 
Expeditious, prompt and not prone to waste working hours looking around, though the unfinished station was something of a marvel even in its skeletal state. If you had told her when she was young that she would be serving aboard a space station she would have called you a fool and a liar.

The idle thought, questioning the efficiency of placing ships in orbit to defend the station instead of arming the structure itself or supplying it with battle platforms made Chief pause, but only briefly. After a moment's misstep, her rhythm and pace had been renewed, she on her brisk way to meet her new captain.

Her size was due to the fact that her mother understood psychology; if you looked like you could toss someone around for questioning your orders, they would be less likely to give you grief. Chief hated grief, it slowed everything down. She slowed her pace as she neared the captain's location, but only slightly.
 
None

Marina spotted her new logistics officer right away; she had complained numerous times to Personnel Management about transferring officers to Pisces without first going through her, but they sent this "Chief" anyway. She had already filed several reports in protest, but to no avail.

Then again, logistics experts were few and far between in this day and age...all anyone wanted to be was the pilot or the commander, it seems. Yamataians signed up for combat roles in droves; few survived them. Glory was not so important as survival to most, it seemed to her, at least in this day and age.

"Nozomi...fukitsu na namae," Marina commented idly as the Chief approached. "Those with names like 'Hope' are often doomed to a life of unhappiness and dissappointment."

Then again...she is pretty, a part of Marina thought, that part showing itself in her smile.

((OOC: If my japanese is incorrect (likely, as it was machine translated), please correct me.))
 
Caine had casually asked for directions to where he could find Marina, and had been headed in that direction, weaving through the crowd of engineers and maintenence crews that clogged the way for a short while as they reported to where they had to be. He was much more prepared for a face to face encounter with the woman he'd spoke to over the datapad back in Xiuluria. After a few moments Caine would come inside, still carrying the pack over his shoulder with a hand in his jacket pocket. Perking a brow at the other person who was approaching he mentally shrugged and proceeded forward, his hair was combed back yet still spiking up as it naturally did, the uniform pressed and fresh. Much different than before.

((Spelling handled by your friendly neighborhood GM))
 
A native of Albini, still, seeing it from space like this despite all the times she'd been in orbit was...different. She looked toward the voice that spoke to her, and pressed her lips into a wry grin. Chief was...nonplussed.

"These days, I find that hope is in greater demand than fuel or ammunition--or bodies to throw at the front lines." Rumors, bits of fact and scuttlebutt, and of course official reports had told her enough of the story. Point in fact, despite being on the other side of the home star from the advancing enemy forces did not guarantee safety.
 
"Then perhaps you will bring hope here, then, Nozomi-Heisho...or is that Taii?" Marina smiled briefly, that same smile she gave all the time when off-duty, heartwarming and honest...before restoring the visage of a stern commander.

"Since you seem to be the highest in rank of those to arrive, you seem to be the de-facto executive officer, at least until I decide on a permanent posting. For now, we shall wait for our arrivals. Once enough have arrived, we shall set up a meeting."
 
"Please call me Chief. It's what everyone else does." The reply was terse and somewhat harsh, she didn't like her rank at all and saw it as a necessary evil to get the job done. "I will eagerly await the others. If there are any others." Perhaps it would have been better to arrange all of the command staff on the planet first, and then bring them all up on the same shuttle.
 
Caine had just gotten into the area leading to the command center, the same where Marina and Chief were conversing. He had only caught the tail end of what they were talking about, something about gathering the command staff on planet. Caine could've made a comment about it, but he already felt like he was on thin ice as it was. No sense in stirring the pot even more was there? "It probably would've made sense to have them all meet in Kyoto first but what can be done at this point?â€
 
Camellia finally arrived. She was the first new crew to arrive on the station, but she was the last to enter the area that Marina and the others were at. After she entered, Camellia bowed sharply.

"Please excuse my tardiness." She said simply while still bowed. "I am Chui Sarri. We talked breifly a week ago in my home on Yamatai."
 
Marina bowed deeply to the two newcomers; who probably weren't expecting someone dressed as she was. "Welcome, all of you. This is all the currently scheduled arrivals...please feel free to wander about the station, though keep in mind that it's currently still under construction. The KAMI and the nodal system are offline, as well, so I will need you all to have a good eye out for trouble."
 
Caine blinked, looking over at Cam and smiled a bit. It was always good to see a familiar face there even if she didn't recognize him. "Hey Cam...nice to see you again." the blonde young man smirked at her and perked a brow at Arisa, this wasn't the same hardfaced Taisa he spoke to a week ago. She get laid or something? She seemed more relaxed.

He laughed slightly when she mentioned wandering around. "I think I'll pass on that Taisa, this place is mobbed with engineers and maintenance personnel at the moment." Caine said.
 
Turning to look, Camellia got an eyefull of Caine's new look. After blinking it over for a second, Camellia closed her eyes and sighed.

"Nice to see you again aswell Caine..." She said in response, "you've let your hair grow... You look like a girl." She stated bluntly.
 
Caine sweatdropped and rubbed his head chuckling "Yeah well, wanted to try something new ya know." he said. "Besides my little sisters like playing with it when they're bored. It keeps them out of trouble and lets my older sister do what she has to." Caine explained.
 
"He does look like a girl, at that." Marina giggled slightly, allowing herself the brief indulgence of a smile and joke before she resumed a stern visage. Evidently, she was quite new at command.

"Nozomi-Taii...no, Executive. I would like to speak with you, away from the others," the Taisa stated bluntly. "You have a role to fulfill that I must discuss immideately."
 
"If you must, then I will be quite pleased to assist. What seems to be the problem?" Chief sidled up, looking at the others leave. Not the least bit apprehensive, just curious as to what could be needed so soon after her arrival. Ah well. Such the life of an executive.
 
Chief's Theme: Machinae Supremacy - Judgement Fray

Song download (legal, published on artist site) - MP3 | Ogg Vorbis

SCENE >> Pisces Commercial Sector

Marina took her new XO aside as she walked through the incomplete commercial sector; currently empty, it would be essentially an 'outlet mall' for passing travellers, with good shopping and better dining. "I must say, your arrival was highly irregular...a promotion to officer rank, Personnel overstepping my authorization to explicitly place you on the station, and arriving on, of all things, a cargo carrier...it all seems quite strange to me."

The chief nodded and shrugged absently, mulling over the details. She'd been stationed on her homeworld per her request immediately after graduating from basic training. "I was already on the planet below where this station is situated. A matter of convenience. There were some goods being transfered from a warehouse on the surface and I happened to book myself passage on it."

"A practical solution, to be sure...I hope I see more of that from you." Marina looked to the side slightly, and despite her kind words, seemed to be frowning. "Personnel went over my head to send you here, and even went so far as to promote you several ranks at once. I'd like to know why they thought that was so needed."

"Perhaps they felt that the rank would infer authority. A problem I have never had before, but who knows what goes on in the minds of Personnel Management? Likely they are more dedicated to the following of rule and regulation than the actual operation of an organization." Chief felt, rightly so, that it wasn't who had the rank, but who was capable of getting results, that people listened to. Having had observed it countless times in her brief tenure as a groundside warehouse monkey.

"That would seem to be the case, here..." Marina was no stranger to the mental disconnect between rank and authority. "But as I said, they promoted you for a reason, and I'm sure that's not the only one. They want you to fill a role here, on this station, and I'm interested in knowing just what those abilities are."

In any case, the chief shrugged, loosening her uniform a bit--actually going so far as to tear the collar intentionally. "Who designed these things? I hate bodysuits. Anyway, my abilities as you put it, you've likely already gone over my file in detail, have you not?"

"Your file was surprisingly sparse on details, though your leadership abilities were praised. Apparently, you are trained in logistics operations, which truthfully, I have need of...but I am personally left baffled as to why they didn't send someone with more experience." Marina's tone of voice, and words, didn't seem to match her body language - let alone the clothing she currently wore.

"Blame that on an inattentive trainer and a retard of a superior officer who left the details of running things to me and didn't bother asking when I did something, merely took the credit. I spent most of my time, prior to entering service, working for the same business that employs my parent. I was quite literally thrown into a backwater office, expected to sit quiet and not interfere. Since that is not how business should be run, I changed that. Acquired supplies, advertising, underlings--everything the branch needed to thrive. And I did it without raising costs or borrowing excessive amounts of money from the company's coffers."

"So basically, your experience is civilian in nature...it seems appropriate." Marina smiled for a brief moment. "You sound quite talented. But that begs the question of why you enlisted, rather than studying at Kyoto. Certainly that would have led to better opportunities...or staying in civilian employ, which I would imagine would be appealing."

Chief stared as if the answer was painfully obvious to anyone. "If you hadn't noticed there is a war on. Yamatai's aggressively expansionistic nature implies that not only will there be needs for people to operate and crew their starships but also they will eventually require individuals capable of handling both the military and civilian aspects of critical operations."

Marina frowned. "Expansion isn't everything. But from the looks of things...I will be glad to have you." The smile restored itself once again, a far cry from the expression that had dominated their conversation.

"Likewise, it will be quite the experience to be stationed here." Stationed on a star fortress. Chief had certainly come a long way from being a manager on what was essentially a boat anchored half a kilometer from a nowhere island in Albini's southern hemisphere.

"You've seen the cargo manifest for the next week, right? There's a group of NovaCorp Custodians being shipped to the station to act as a de-facto security force while the station is being completed. I'd like you to go inspect the shipment and activate them." Marina's tone sounded less like an order and more like a friendly request. "...one more question, though, before that. Why do they call you 'Chief'?"

"It's more of a familiarity thing than anything else...back before I enlisted most of my orders would be met with a phrase round about equal to 'You got it, chief' and the appellation stuck."

"It's...sterile. Nozomi is a much better name for someone like you. It inspires confidence." This was the same woman that was questioning Chief's abilities just five minutes ago? The smile lingered on Marina's face for a few moments, before she restored her stern look. "You have your orders, Executive." A salute; not exactly typical for a Yamataian commander, but still an understood gesture.

Chief smiled briefly. "My name is one thing, my preference is Chief." It invoked that people understood and trusted her. Trust was important, especially in regard to an XO. Returning the salute, Chief asked to be excused.

Marina nodded sternly, dismissing the Chief.

Returning the peremptory salute, Chief made her way off to misappropriate suitable quartering for herself.

END
 
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top