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Getting Spaceworthy

C

Concerto

Inactive Member
ON: Nepleslia

>>>Public Node
>>>Source erased
>>>Author erased
>>>Message follows:

Washouts, problem cases, or just plain fed up with serving the army (any one, I don't care):

I'm currently looking for eleven able-bodied soldiers to crew an independent ship operating in the outer territories. At this time I'm looking for two engineers and eight bridge crew: Three tactical, one comm specialist, pilot, navigator, sensor officer and a systems specialist.

If you're interested in joining my crew reply to this message. If you check out and have the skills I need I'll be contacting you. Otherwise I'm screening applicants for combat and security duties. There's enough space aboard ship for 20 in that position.
Experience in CQC is preferable but I'll also accept weapons specialists and power armor operators and pilots, though at this moment I have no vehicles for you to use.

>>>Message ends.


Terry smiled as he read the message on the public node. He'd had to work a bit to find one that hadn't been covered in graffiti or scavenged for parts, at least where he'd been dropped by that...captain. It was absurd but he still refused to address people by their formal titles; besides he thought captain rolled off the tongue easier and sounded more official than anything some braindead sycophant lurking in the military hierarchy could come up with.

Bringing up the message prompt, Terry entered the address for a ship that was still docked somewhere on the planet undergoing repairs. The fact that he was even reading this message meant things were going smoothly and the ship now had a working long range comm antenna again, and that its AI was following his instructions to the letter.

He wrote briskly, almost tersely. "ANUBIS, I see you sent the message like we planned?" The reply was almost instantaneous, it would have been faster except that ANUBIS had learned fairly quickly that fast replies unnerved people (meaning that the AI still did it from time to time).

"Exactly as you laid it out, Terry. I also sent the message to that gunship as soon as my new antenna went online. By the way we've got to start being more careful when we're making legitimate cargo runs."

Terry frowned as he read that last part. How was he supposed to know there would be an ambush waiting for them? It was lucky they managed to get away mostly unharmed but still he'd had to call in engineers from the home office of a company that technically didn't exist. "And the station records? Did you figure out who sliced my existence out of the network?"

"I did that, sir," was the AI's response. "I figured that if you're going to be playing both sides of the field then it would be easier if general information about you was hard to come by. I left little tidbits here and there, and everything's intact in hard copy right where it belongs. Not that anyone ever uses hard copy anymore."

Breathing a sigh of mixed exasperation and relief, Terry sent a reply indicating he'd talk to ANUBIS again when he boarded the ship itself and could directly interface with the AI. Then he shut off the node and went on his way, not bothering to try being inconspicuous as he walked.
 
Keeping a ship hidden wasn't very easy especially on a planet full of thugs and miscreants who would steal anything that wasn't tied down--the Osiris however was berthed in a hangar that was under dispute and not being used by any of the factions who wanted to claim it as their own. Since he hadn't been able to make it back to the hangar where Osiris had been built there had been little alternative but he'd managed to scrape together a repair crew.

Terry boarded his ship through the port ingress hatch--he considered it bad luck to board a ship undergoing repairs from the starboard side--and went straight to the bridge. Even though it was empty and somewhat in bad shape he slid into the captain's chair and brought up a status window almost immediately. The interface hadn't been powered down which meant that he hadn't had any unwanted visitors. "Hey, ANUBIS, give me a status report."

"Nothing much has changed since the last time you asked and I haven't received any replies to the messages you wanted sent. You'll be pleased to know however that engines are back to full operational status and weapon and defensive systems will soon be working again. There is still the matter of a crew; the beings you hired have abandoned us it seems. Drone operation can continue but if you plan on getting in any more fights then I'd prefer if you picked up some independent thinkers."
 
Kirio Kazemaru got off of the transport and stepped onto Nepleslian soil, or rather pavement, as it turned out to be. He hefted his pack and set out to find this "ISC Osiris" ship that sent out that ivitation to join up.

Kirio had been bored, living on the outskirts of Kyoto. He had loved his job, in his father's construction company, blowing things up for money, but it just wasnt giving him the satisfaction he wanted. He thougth back to his days as a pilot, when he used to deliver packages from planet to planet. His thoughts centered especially on that time when he was boarded by pirates and had eventually turned the tables on them and held them prisioner! Kirio grinned at the memory. He had brought them back to the nearest planet and had made a large profit on their ship. He had even found a shotgun in their weapons locker. Being an antique collector, he had kept it and studied it and eventually, he was able to make his own shells and slugs for it.

Kirio walked through the city, looking around for anything that might be of help to him. Three hours later, he was exhausted and fed up. He trudged back to the last public node he saw and suddenly found himself face to face with the message that had brought him here. He typed a reply stating that he would be staying in a hotel near the spaceport and a way to contact him. kirio, very tired, now made his way back to the spaceport to book a room in the hotel.
 
The dependable Luicen McGarland was wandering around a small backwater in the outskirts of a major Nepleslian City. He was in town square, looking through the public node.
"How the hell do I use this?" He asked himself as began to scan through it. A message for a position in the ISC Osiris came up after pushing some random buttons. Luicen read through it carefully.
After a few minutes of reading, he replied to the message, telling whoever it was about what he could do on the ship, his skills and a bit about himself. He also mentioned that he'd leave tommorow, because he had to pack his things.

"Ach..." Luicen said to himself as he sent the message, "What do I have to lose?"

Later on, he went back to his hotel room in the local pub, packed his inventory into a suitcase and got himself prepared for the day tommorow.
"Lets see... casual suit, formal suit, ammo, bagpipes... it's all here and ready tae go tommorow."
With that, the highlander slammed the suitcase's lid shut and he slept.
 
While his captain was overseeing the last of the repairs--ambushes really are nasty things!--the Osiris main AI ANUBIS was reading the incoming messages and smiling inwardly.
Not that a computer could actually smile but the sensation running through his digital brain was similar to what would prompt an organic being to twist the corners of his or her mouth up.
To both he sent the coordinates where the Osiris was docked, and printable credentials; they'd serve as identification that they were in fact the right people to be allowed on board. They'd only need the credentials once as afterward ANUBIS would record their biometric data for future reference.

In the meantime he also permitted the loading of a cargo with the GM label on it; these must have been the first of the new Goshen suits that were starting to be made back home on Yamatai. They'd come in handy for that one who wanted the power armor (even though they weren't power armor the suits would probably come in handy for more than just spotting during a cargo transfer in deep space).
 
As the next day dawned, kirio streached and looked outside the modest hotel he had been sleeping. The hustle and bustle of neplesia wasn't as much as it was on yamatai, but it sure was just as interesting! He could see a mugging going on in broad daylight! He adjusted his sword and shotgun now, feeling a little nervous.

He exited the hotel, having paid for his night's stay and made his way to the coordinates that he had recieved. As he neared the entrance of a large warehouse, he looked up. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary storage area, albeit large. He opened the door.

What he saw was a ship, not an especially large ship, but a ship nonetheless, and one that he wouldn't mind working on. In fact, it seemed about the same size as the cargo ships he had been piloting about a year ago! He walked on up to the ship's door and rapped his fist on the hatch, saying, "Hey! Im here for the guy who runs this ship! Could you please open the door?"
 
That morning, Luicen slung his suitcase over his back and wore it like a backpack. He left the hotel, paying the owner in kind.

He made advances towards the Location of the new ship from his backwater with the aid of a Taxi. He wasn't at all nervous, he saw a few muggings along the way to the inner-city station, but no major blunders.

He disembarked near the space station, paying the driver and making his way towards the warehouse. He knocked on the door, waited a while, then decided to open it anyway. He laid eyes on a Space Ship for the first time.

"That's... a space ship?" Luicen said to himself in awe, "Ach, looks weirder than ah thought."
He then noticed the man banging against a hatch on the ship, and Luicen knew who he was in a heartbeat.
That's the bastard who tried to pull a knife at me in that pub-brawl a few days back!! Luicen was mildly pissed with this realisation as he approached the hatch.
 
Kirio turned as he heard footsteps approaching, and saw something that made him cock and eyebrow. An obviously scottish man was agnrily walking towards him with what looked like a bagpipe sticking out of his backpack. Kirio put his hand on his sword and asked, "Who are you and what do you want?"
 
"Well, first off, I'm not yer commander, Oi'm here for the mission too," Replied the Highlander, trying to keep a cool head at Kirio, "And aye, those are bagpoipes stickin' outta me suitcase. And yes, I remember ye from that pub brawl a few nights back, now THAT was a brawl to remember!" He chuckled long and heartily, remembering the fight vividly.
Luicen then looked at the ship as a whole walking around it, "Anyway, how'd ya foind out 'bout this number anyway, lad?"
 
Kirio smiled broadly, he remembered that fight, and yes, it was one amazing fight, he had gotten a bloody nose and had done the same to at least three other people. "I found out about this ship through some of my friends back on kyoto, rumor must have spread," he shrugged. "Who did end up paying for the tab, not to mention the damages? I was dragged out of there long before it ended." Kirio chuckled.
 
"I dinnae, some skinhead Nepleslian bugger with a sheep's arse for a face! Hahahaha, we handed his arse to him on a platter before you were tossed out, didn't we?" Luicen began to roar with laughter as he continued, "Och, ah made tracks as soon as I tossed him behind the bar. Now that I remember more, I think the fight started when he began pullin' at me beard and callin' me a dwarf of all things!"
Luicen then looked at the sword Kirio was hanging from his back, "Ohh, Nice sword ye got there." Came the Highlander's comment.
 
Kirio guffawed, "HIM? THAT bastard? He deserved to take it all! He was like a madman in that fight, he even pulled a knife! Oh, that was fun. Ah, and thank thank you for that comment on my sword! I just bought it about a week ago, I'm itching to try it out! Its 40 inches long! I certainly wouldnt be on the recieving end of one of these babies. And about those bagpipes, you do play right? How well?"
 
"Oh... those bagpipes?" Luicen replied while his hand went after the back of his head, "Erm, I've only had 'em fer a few weeks, a Clan-hand-me-down. I'm not that good at playin' wit 'em, but I can play if ye really want."
Luicen knew that he sounded like a duck being attacked with a mallet when he played bagpipes, and was somewhat embarrased to play for Kirio.
 
Finally after what seemed like forever the hatch hissed open and a gantry descended to the floor of the hangar. The ship's running lights snapped on and a light appeared in the open hatch, as if to say "Get the hell on board or you get left behind." This was punctuated by the sound of the engine warming up and the groan of giant servos. The gravity manipulation arrays moved as though the Osiris were a beast flexing its muscles in preparation of a strike against prey, and they shimmered to life, altering the pitch and tone of the engine noise to something ethereal, otherworldly.

The gantry stairs lit up and a voice blared on external speakers. "Present your credentials and board the ship." The Osiris shuddered on its landing skids, ready to leap off the pad. Overhead, hangar doors opened, admitting sunlight onto the gleaming tan and yellow hull. Freshly repaired and with new plating installed it looked brand new.
 
Kirio said as he hefted his bag again "you would do well to practice before perfoming! It sounded like a blasting cap went off inside a goose! No hard feelings alright? I think we are both far better with our fists than our music.

He showed his credentials and headed inside.
 
"Loadin' time!" Luicen said to himself as he made way up the steps. Once he stood at the top of the steps, he looked for his credentials, he found them in his back pocket, strangely enough they weren't robbed, a rare thing.
He held his credentials out and proclaimed:
"I am Luicen McGarland, here for the Osiris Job." With that, he made his way inside.

"Aye... let's just meet our skipper first, then we can goof 'round." He replied to Kirio.
 
A strip along the deck plating lit up green, a clear indication to follow. It led forward to the bridge, but no one was there. The pilot's station was lit up, as was the tactical console.

Both consoles had a message on the screen. "Your tests begin now, and don't forget FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't forget to retract the gantry and seal the hatch. The last applicant forgot to do that and let's just say the color you're seeing now is a repaint."
 
"Oh-kay." Luicen nodded as he looked for something to close the hatch with, he eventually a large lever and he gave it a pull, he then saw the gantry ladder retract and the hatch close, "Ah, a lucky guess."

With that, the highlander made his way to the Tactical console, taking a seat and leaving his suitcase/backpack beside the console.
"Comfy," Luicen commented, he then asked the console, "What's my task?"
 
Kirio followed the lighted corridor alongside Luicen and when he reached the helm, he immediately knew where he was supposed to sit. He made a bee-line for the pilot seat, sat down and looked over the controls. There were not too many unfamiliar buttons, most of the controls looked the same as when he used to pilot the cargo ships. Exept this one had weapons. Kirio grinned, he always loved to make a large kaboom when the need called for it. "So, where is the destination and rules for this test?" he asked.
 
Right on cue the reply came. On both stations a map appeared, orbital drift charts, flight paths of various merchant vessels, and a blinking red dot with numbers next to it with the word "DESTINATION--START RUN" in big bold letters underneath of it.

The bridge door hissed open and Terry swung himself up into the captain's chair, strapping in and tapping a string of commands to his own console. "Good morning, gentlemen. If you take your places and strap in we can start this little road show.

"Your destination is marked on your screens. The pilot station, you'll note, does not have any weapon controls; this isn't a fighter craft so don't expect it to maneuver like one. Likewise the tactical station controls the guns but you can't fly the ship from it. A good crew needs to work together to get things done and if you two can't pull through this task then I will have no need for you. Launch at any time you're ready."
 
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