Mass Effect: Chimera
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Mass Effect: Chimera
Several officers were sitting in the terminal outside the docking ring that housed the MSV Lexington. The crew was rotating with new people coming aboard and old people returning. The MSV Lexington was owned and operated by a Captain Julian West, however most of the bills were fronted by the Interstellar Free Trade Consortium. It was too hard for a single man to get a loan for a ship so they would merely put up a fraction of the money while the shipping agent paid the rest. In return the ship’s captain was sponsored for his shipping and trading licenses and given jobs by their agent. Only a loose set of rules applied to ships operating under a free company license and the captains rules were above all.
A number of crew members were waiting outside in the terminals waiting for the captain to arrive and let them onto the ship. The Lexington was an old military currier and transport ship back from the first contact wars. Over thirty years old the ship had recently undergone a refit upgrading the technology to the standard of the day. It was equipped with powerful sensors able to survey a planet much quicker than before and its improved engines made traveling in the Traverse and Terminus much quicker. You never know when you’ll need to run from a fight.
Shift Lieutenant Ellis Carver sat across from crewman Thomas “Herc” Hauk at a table in the terminal. Ellis was a young black man originally from Baltimore, him and Herc met during the Skyllian blitz when they were serving onboard an alliance starship. “You’re not going to pass the officers exam without studying.” Ellis said firmly. “The company is very strict about these things. They won’t reach down for you.”
“I was thirty fourth on the last list.” Herc said with a bit of a frown. The New Yorker was heavier and more muscular then his Baltimore counterpart. “That’s pretty high up there.”
“Yeah but you weren’t selected were you?” Carver retorted.
“No your right.” Herc replied, “Okay.” The lumbering man paused, “Quiz me.”
Carver picked up a pad in front of him and started, “According to regulation C-17...”
“Wait!” Herc said, “You have to know them by the number?”
Carvers face contorted a little bit, “Yeah it helps. It makes you sound more professional.”
“Alright.” Herc nodded.
“Acording to C-17 the regulation on sexual harassment if one of the crewmen on your shift complains that a co worker has been sexually harassing them you;” Carver paused for dramatic event. “A) Report the abuse directly to the captain, B) Inform the highest ranking female crewmember on the shift, Or C) consult with the other shift lieutenants.”
Herc thought for a moment before finally deciding on his answer. “I choose D.”
“D?” Carver asked.
“Yeah D.” Herc said with a nod. “I go to the man in question and slap him around for dipping into my private stock. Then I talk to the female crewmember in question and console her...”
“Herc you need to take this serious! I mean I’m trying to help you with a promotion here!”
“Hey the job is common sense.” The bulk of a man replied with a hint of amusement. “I mean I was thirty fourth before and I know all the regs better now.”
As they stared at each other as an auburn haired woman in the Lexingtons uniform walked across the room, a cup of coffee in her hand, and deposited herself at a nearby table. Ship uniforms were a great idea someone came up with. In order to differentiate crews from different ships and allow for individual ships to retain a sense of self a company store was set up where captains could design a set uniform for his crew. The crew of course would then have to buy their own uniform from the company store. It was an ingenious way to make some extra money and make the independent contractors feel unique.
Herc stood up nodding a bit at Carver. He walked up to the blond with the cup of coffee in his hand and looking at her said simply. “Hey.” He said reaching out his hand. “I’m Thomas.”
“Felicity Chase.” She replied shaking it.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get some coffee.” Herc said weirdly.
“I already have some...” She said lifting her cup up.
“Oh yeah right...” Defeated Herc turned around and sat back down at the table.
Across from him Carver smirked a bit extending his hand and mocking Hercs voice said “Hey I’m Thomas. Want some coffee?” he laughed a little bit.
“Well I was going to ask her for her panty’s to make soup but given the subject we just talked about I decided against it.” Herc smirked.
“There is something wrong with you.” Carver replied with a straight face at his grinning friend.
Herc was about to reply when suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of a coffee mug hitting a table. He turned around just in time to see Felicity bearing down on him. Before he could say anything to her, however, she slugged him right across the left check sending him to the deck plates.
"How's that for soup," she shouted at him as she stood over him with her hands on her hips.
“Everyone stop it!” Carver yelled. “This behavior is unprofessional.” He turned to Felicity and demanded, “Crewmen what is your name and station? You’re being put on report.”
“Felicity Chase, Flight Officer.”
Carver resisted the urge to smile. “Flight Officer Chase.” He began. “For hitting a deck officer your punishment will be....”
“Issued out by the captain I think.” A voice from behind Carver said. He turned to see a fairly tall man with blond hair and a twelve year old child perched on his shoulders. “Alright Dominick.” he said pulling the child off his shoulders. “Go see your aunt.” The small child dropped gently onto the ground his legs moving awkwardly as he limped across the metal deck towards a blond woman standing by the terminal entrance. “Now tell me what happened.”
Carver began. “Herc and I were having a conversation when Flight Officer Chase came over and punched Deck Officer Hauk.”
“Really? Out of the blue she just decided it would be a good idea to strike a man nearly twice her size?” Captain West asked an eyebrow quirked slightly.
Herc stood up off the ground. “I may have made some comments that weren’t entirely appropriate. It wasn’t my intent to offend however I could see how offense was taken sir.”
“And because you made some off colored comments you were struck.” Standing he shared a few glares between the two. “And Miss Chase you believed that it was an appropriate response to smack him?” Letting out a sigh he then concluded, “Well neither of you were in the right here and neither of you were onboard the ship. Assuming this doesn’t happen again there will be no punishment except an official reprimand placed within your record.” Turning to look at Felicity he stated, “The third for you. And you haven’t even stepped foot on the ship yet.”
Shaking his head he turned his back on the brawlers and walked over to the child he had brought with him. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.” He said softly throwing a salute in his son’s direction.
“Why can’t I come with you?” The boy asked. “I went with you on the survey run in the Typhon expanse.”
West sighed a bit to himself. “Yes but the traverse is dangerous, and even more so where we are going out near the terminus systems.” The man rubbed his sons head and then continued, “Your aunt Lucile will take care of you and in less than a week I’ll be back from this cargo run and regulations state we get as much leave as we have days out. So if I want I can spend the entire week back home with you.” He gave the boy a wink, “I think we can both be reasonably assured that I’ll want to spend the time here. And after that... well I can try to get a survey mission somewhere close.”
“It’s a promise.” The boy said. Julian West nodded at his son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Turning he began to walk towards the ship. “Alright everyone.” He yelled bellowing. “Start stowing your gear on board, we are out in space for a week and I don’t want any delays in getting back home.” He was early. About thirty minutes early, not all the crew had arrived but those who did could at least begin to pack their belongings into the assigned quarters and help speed things along.
A number of crew members were waiting outside in the terminals waiting for the captain to arrive and let them onto the ship. The Lexington was an old military currier and transport ship back from the first contact wars. Over thirty years old the ship had recently undergone a refit upgrading the technology to the standard of the day. It was equipped with powerful sensors able to survey a planet much quicker than before and its improved engines made traveling in the Traverse and Terminus much quicker. You never know when you’ll need to run from a fight.
Shift Lieutenant Ellis Carver sat across from crewman Thomas “Herc” Hauk at a table in the terminal. Ellis was a young black man originally from Baltimore, him and Herc met during the Skyllian blitz when they were serving onboard an alliance starship. “You’re not going to pass the officers exam without studying.” Ellis said firmly. “The company is very strict about these things. They won’t reach down for you.”
“I was thirty fourth on the last list.” Herc said with a bit of a frown. The New Yorker was heavier and more muscular then his Baltimore counterpart. “That’s pretty high up there.”
“Yeah but you weren’t selected were you?” Carver retorted.
“No your right.” Herc replied, “Okay.” The lumbering man paused, “Quiz me.”
Carver picked up a pad in front of him and started, “According to regulation C-17...”
“Wait!” Herc said, “You have to know them by the number?”
Carvers face contorted a little bit, “Yeah it helps. It makes you sound more professional.”
“Alright.” Herc nodded.
“Acording to C-17 the regulation on sexual harassment if one of the crewmen on your shift complains that a co worker has been sexually harassing them you;” Carver paused for dramatic event. “A) Report the abuse directly to the captain, B) Inform the highest ranking female crewmember on the shift, Or C) consult with the other shift lieutenants.”
Herc thought for a moment before finally deciding on his answer. “I choose D.”
“D?” Carver asked.
“Yeah D.” Herc said with a nod. “I go to the man in question and slap him around for dipping into my private stock. Then I talk to the female crewmember in question and console her...”
“Herc you need to take this serious! I mean I’m trying to help you with a promotion here!”
“Hey the job is common sense.” The bulk of a man replied with a hint of amusement. “I mean I was thirty fourth before and I know all the regs better now.”
As they stared at each other as an auburn haired woman in the Lexingtons uniform walked across the room, a cup of coffee in her hand, and deposited herself at a nearby table. Ship uniforms were a great idea someone came up with. In order to differentiate crews from different ships and allow for individual ships to retain a sense of self a company store was set up where captains could design a set uniform for his crew. The crew of course would then have to buy their own uniform from the company store. It was an ingenious way to make some extra money and make the independent contractors feel unique.
Herc stood up nodding a bit at Carver. He walked up to the blond with the cup of coffee in his hand and looking at her said simply. “Hey.” He said reaching out his hand. “I’m Thomas.”
“Felicity Chase.” She replied shaking it.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get some coffee.” Herc said weirdly.
“I already have some...” She said lifting her cup up.
“Oh yeah right...” Defeated Herc turned around and sat back down at the table.
Across from him Carver smirked a bit extending his hand and mocking Hercs voice said “Hey I’m Thomas. Want some coffee?” he laughed a little bit.
“Well I was going to ask her for her panty’s to make soup but given the subject we just talked about I decided against it.” Herc smirked.
“There is something wrong with you.” Carver replied with a straight face at his grinning friend.
Herc was about to reply when suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of a coffee mug hitting a table. He turned around just in time to see Felicity bearing down on him. Before he could say anything to her, however, she slugged him right across the left check sending him to the deck plates.
"How's that for soup," she shouted at him as she stood over him with her hands on her hips.
“Everyone stop it!” Carver yelled. “This behavior is unprofessional.” He turned to Felicity and demanded, “Crewmen what is your name and station? You’re being put on report.”
“Felicity Chase, Flight Officer.”
Carver resisted the urge to smile. “Flight Officer Chase.” He began. “For hitting a deck officer your punishment will be....”
“Issued out by the captain I think.” A voice from behind Carver said. He turned to see a fairly tall man with blond hair and a twelve year old child perched on his shoulders. “Alright Dominick.” he said pulling the child off his shoulders. “Go see your aunt.” The small child dropped gently onto the ground his legs moving awkwardly as he limped across the metal deck towards a blond woman standing by the terminal entrance. “Now tell me what happened.”
Carver began. “Herc and I were having a conversation when Flight Officer Chase came over and punched Deck Officer Hauk.”
“Really? Out of the blue she just decided it would be a good idea to strike a man nearly twice her size?” Captain West asked an eyebrow quirked slightly.
Herc stood up off the ground. “I may have made some comments that weren’t entirely appropriate. It wasn’t my intent to offend however I could see how offense was taken sir.”
“And because you made some off colored comments you were struck.” Standing he shared a few glares between the two. “And Miss Chase you believed that it was an appropriate response to smack him?” Letting out a sigh he then concluded, “Well neither of you were in the right here and neither of you were onboard the ship. Assuming this doesn’t happen again there will be no punishment except an official reprimand placed within your record.” Turning to look at Felicity he stated, “The third for you. And you haven’t even stepped foot on the ship yet.”
Shaking his head he turned his back on the brawlers and walked over to the child he had brought with him. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.” He said softly throwing a salute in his son’s direction.
“Why can’t I come with you?” The boy asked. “I went with you on the survey run in the Typhon expanse.”
West sighed a bit to himself. “Yes but the traverse is dangerous, and even more so where we are going out near the terminus systems.” The man rubbed his sons head and then continued, “Your aunt Lucile will take care of you and in less than a week I’ll be back from this cargo run and regulations state we get as much leave as we have days out. So if I want I can spend the entire week back home with you.” He gave the boy a wink, “I think we can both be reasonably assured that I’ll want to spend the time here. And after that... well I can try to get a survey mission somewhere close.”
“It’s a promise.” The boy said. Julian West nodded at his son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Turning he began to walk towards the ship. “Alright everyone.” He yelled bellowing. “Start stowing your gear on board, we are out in space for a week and I don’t want any delays in getting back home.” He was early. About thirty minutes early, not all the crew had arrived but those who did could at least begin to pack their belongings into the assigned quarters and help speed things along.
Domani, forget domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Off to the side of the terminal a Crewman Griego Fallen was lounging against the wall, using his overstuffed ruck sack as a sort of wedge to rest his back against. Up until just now he’d been peacefully catching some shut-eye. It was something he’d learned in the Corps. When you had a chance to safely catch some z’s, you did it. It kept you alert, refreshed, and more relevant to the here and now; it kept you out of trouble.
The young man frowned slightly as he looked over and watched the spectacle start to play out between the rather attractive flight officer and the pigheaded crewman. He’d been on the Lexington for awhile now but he couldn’t recall ever meeting the flight officer before. Everyone knew Hauk, though. Griego rolled his eyes a bit just thinking about it.
He had to admit it was quite fulfilling to see the cocky crewman knocked to the deck, but as a rule Fallen stayed out of others affairs. He was here for a pay check, not to grabass or join in the fraternal bonds of free traders. With a heavy sigh the light brown haired former Marine readjusted himself in an effort to get comfortable again. They had about another thirty minutes before the official board time and that was plenty enough time for a decent nap.
“Issued out by the Captain, I think”
At the sound of the Captain’s voice, Fallen’s light blue eyes snapped open and in seconds he’d gathered his feet underneath of him and was straightening out his uniform. Something else he’d brought along from the Corps, no doubt. He stood still and silent as the Captain went about dissolving the situation and then ordering them all aboard. He hadn’t known the man long, but Captain West had left a good impression on him as a fair leader that knew how to get the job done. And that went a long way in Griego’s book.
Having been given the early go ahead to stow their gear and board, Crewman Fallen didn’t see any reason to settle back down. He turned around to face the wall and looked down at his collection of gear. Being a Surveyor aboard the ship meant that his duties and responsibilities were varied and spread across a number of specialties. This meant he had a decent amount of equipment.
The company provided what they felt were the necessities, although Fallen had never used any of their crap. He bought his own gear. Sure it was a risk and he’d not be reimbursed if something ever happened to it, but at least he knew it was going to work when he needed it to.
He reached down and grabbed hold of the shoulder strap of his ruck sack first. It was a modular model and he had several various sized rigs attached to it. Once the ruck and its accompaniments were secured over his shoulders he reached down and grabbed the hand straps of his duffel bag and then started off towards the ship, falling in line with the other crew members silently. He’d drop off his ruck in the Surveyors area of the cargo bay first, and then he’d head up to the Crew Deck and set up his bunk…
The young man frowned slightly as he looked over and watched the spectacle start to play out between the rather attractive flight officer and the pigheaded crewman. He’d been on the Lexington for awhile now but he couldn’t recall ever meeting the flight officer before. Everyone knew Hauk, though. Griego rolled his eyes a bit just thinking about it.
He had to admit it was quite fulfilling to see the cocky crewman knocked to the deck, but as a rule Fallen stayed out of others affairs. He was here for a pay check, not to grabass or join in the fraternal bonds of free traders. With a heavy sigh the light brown haired former Marine readjusted himself in an effort to get comfortable again. They had about another thirty minutes before the official board time and that was plenty enough time for a decent nap.
“Issued out by the Captain, I think”
At the sound of the Captain’s voice, Fallen’s light blue eyes snapped open and in seconds he’d gathered his feet underneath of him and was straightening out his uniform. Something else he’d brought along from the Corps, no doubt. He stood still and silent as the Captain went about dissolving the situation and then ordering them all aboard. He hadn’t known the man long, but Captain West had left a good impression on him as a fair leader that knew how to get the job done. And that went a long way in Griego’s book.
Having been given the early go ahead to stow their gear and board, Crewman Fallen didn’t see any reason to settle back down. He turned around to face the wall and looked down at his collection of gear. Being a Surveyor aboard the ship meant that his duties and responsibilities were varied and spread across a number of specialties. This meant he had a decent amount of equipment.
The company provided what they felt were the necessities, although Fallen had never used any of their crap. He bought his own gear. Sure it was a risk and he’d not be reimbursed if something ever happened to it, but at least he knew it was going to work when he needed it to.
He reached down and grabbed hold of the shoulder strap of his ruck sack first. It was a modular model and he had several various sized rigs attached to it. Once the ruck and its accompaniments were secured over his shoulders he reached down and grabbed the hand straps of his duffel bag and then started off towards the ship, falling in line with the other crew members silently. He’d drop off his ruck in the Surveyors area of the cargo bay first, and then he’d head up to the Crew Deck and set up his bunk…
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Axun'Locas nar Seyla sat on his bunk, twirling a short dagger in his right hand. It was a nondescript thing, a simple blade chemically blackened with cerulean edges and a hilt wrapped in leather of the same shade. There were no decorations except for a a smell message in quarian script etched to the tang of the blade. To anyone else, the dagger would have been of no significance, but to Axun'Locas nar Seyla, it was a treasured possession and sign of a life long gone.
The quarian sighed and sheathed the blade; he was prone to rumination and he knew that being lost in thought wasn't always a healthy thing. True, it was sometimes good to reflect on the day's experiences, but to be so self-engrossed, that wasn't good. It was a habit he was consciously trying to break, and so he fixed the blade to a boot strap and pulled up a work request on his omni-tool. The device glowed orange as it displayed the message, and Axun's glowing eyes narrowed as he read it.
"Bosh'tet!" he cursed to himself. "I am not a fething mechanic." Engineer Gerstman wanted him to assist with some maintenance on the drive core. It always annoyed Axun when people naturally assumed he possessed some extraordinary expertise with all things mechanical just because he was a quarian. True, he did understand mechanical objects better than most, but he was not an engineer or a scientist. He wasn't even a mechanic. He filled a very specialized and very rare role in quarian society: Axun'Locas nar Seyla was Pul'ir Kyl'sar.
Child to a contaminated mother, Axun was the result of an accident of circumstance and carelessness. He had been exposed to Element Zero during gestation when his mother had suffered wounds during a trip out of the Migrant Fleet. Growing up, the quarian physicians had diagnosed him as possessing biotic abilities, something incredibly rare among quarians and thought to be based only on rumor. That had dictated everything he did in his childhood and adolescence; he had been subjected to a battery of tests, trials, and tribulations, and any friendships and relationships he had made were broken when he was sent on his Pilgrimage.
As a Pulir Kyl'sar, Axun'Locas was trained for a variety of tasks, but his first and foremost responsibility was reconnaissance. His Pilgrimage was extended and advanced, and he was expected to bring back data on potential resource planets for the Migrant Fleet to travel to. To facilitate this role, he had been trained in the ways of the hunter, and his mentors had, at an early age, contracted an asari to teach him commando and biotic skills. Great things were expected of him, and he was destined for greatness.
Axun'Locas hated it.
He had left the Migrant Fleet and vowed not to return, or to return only after an extended leave. His training, the expectations, they had destroyed what chance he had at a normal childhood. His friends were gone, as were his family and relationships. The knife was a reminder of that.
The quarian cursed; he was ruminating again. To his relief the door chime sounded, and a human entered. Apparently his roommate had arrived, and by the looks of him, the human was of military decent. Axun'Locas stood and greeted the newcomer. "Hello there," he said, his voice modulated by his environmental suit.
The quarian sighed and sheathed the blade; he was prone to rumination and he knew that being lost in thought wasn't always a healthy thing. True, it was sometimes good to reflect on the day's experiences, but to be so self-engrossed, that wasn't good. It was a habit he was consciously trying to break, and so he fixed the blade to a boot strap and pulled up a work request on his omni-tool. The device glowed orange as it displayed the message, and Axun's glowing eyes narrowed as he read it.
"Bosh'tet!" he cursed to himself. "I am not a fething mechanic." Engineer Gerstman wanted him to assist with some maintenance on the drive core. It always annoyed Axun when people naturally assumed he possessed some extraordinary expertise with all things mechanical just because he was a quarian. True, he did understand mechanical objects better than most, but he was not an engineer or a scientist. He wasn't even a mechanic. He filled a very specialized and very rare role in quarian society: Axun'Locas nar Seyla was Pul'ir Kyl'sar.
Child to a contaminated mother, Axun was the result of an accident of circumstance and carelessness. He had been exposed to Element Zero during gestation when his mother had suffered wounds during a trip out of the Migrant Fleet. Growing up, the quarian physicians had diagnosed him as possessing biotic abilities, something incredibly rare among quarians and thought to be based only on rumor. That had dictated everything he did in his childhood and adolescence; he had been subjected to a battery of tests, trials, and tribulations, and any friendships and relationships he had made were broken when he was sent on his Pilgrimage.
As a Pulir Kyl'sar, Axun'Locas was trained for a variety of tasks, but his first and foremost responsibility was reconnaissance. His Pilgrimage was extended and advanced, and he was expected to bring back data on potential resource planets for the Migrant Fleet to travel to. To facilitate this role, he had been trained in the ways of the hunter, and his mentors had, at an early age, contracted an asari to teach him commando and biotic skills. Great things were expected of him, and he was destined for greatness.
Axun'Locas hated it.
He had left the Migrant Fleet and vowed not to return, or to return only after an extended leave. His training, the expectations, they had destroyed what chance he had at a normal childhood. His friends were gone, as were his family and relationships. The knife was a reminder of that.
The quarian cursed; he was ruminating again. To his relief the door chime sounded, and a human entered. Apparently his roommate had arrived, and by the looks of him, the human was of military decent. Axun'Locas stood and greeted the newcomer. "Hello there," he said, his voice modulated by his environmental suit.
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
As Fallen stepped through the entryway he heard the Quarian greet him and the crewmans light blue gaze centered itself on the suited alien. He sighed internally. The last time out hed lucked out and had a room to himself. Oh well... he thought to himself. It'll make for a long journey if I act like a jackass right off the bat. He nodded his head in recognition to the Quarian before he deposited his duffel bag on the bunk opposite the aliens.
"Hey." he replied finally.
"Hey." he replied finally.
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
It was an awkward silence and illustrated perfectly why Axun hated his Pilgrimage. Even though he had actually looked forward to it, as the date had drawn near and he had learned what was expected, all joy had been killed. He had really hoped to undergo the ritual with her, but they had sent him out alone.
The human finally responded with a lame "hey", so Axun offered his hand. "I am Axun'Locas nar Seyla. I suppose we're going to be roommates for the duration of this trip." He pointed to the left side of the room. They had fortunately been assigned relatively spacious quarters, where the bunks were not set vertically. "I've already set up on that side, so I guess you can take the starboard bunk."
The human finally responded with a lame "hey", so Axun offered his hand. "I am Axun'Locas nar Seyla. I suppose we're going to be roommates for the duration of this trip." He pointed to the left side of the room. They had fortunately been assigned relatively spacious quarters, where the bunks were not set vertically. "I've already set up on that side, so I guess you can take the starboard bunk."
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Griego, while a loner, was not rude. He took the Quarian's offered hand in his own and gave it a firm shake. "Griego Fallen." He introduced himself then stepped back over towards his bunk and ran a hand back through his shortly cropped brown hair. "What uh... Seyla's like a clan name or something right? Where you're from, yeah?" He asked awkwardly. He'd been around a few Quarian before while with the Corps, but he'd never really had the need to carry on a conversation with one before.
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
"Seyla is the ship I was born on and grew up on," Axun explained. It was a common question most humans had, he had come to realize. Human names were quite simple and similar to other races: a given name and then a family name. They always seemed to wonder about the quarian three-part naming structure. "So, I suppose, it does indicate where I'm from." He watched as Griego set his things down. "So, Griego, what's your role on this ship?"
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Felicity Chase entered the bridge a short while after squaring away her bunk. She was still early for the ship's departure but she decided to try and get a feel for the ship she was about to fly. Bridge personnel were also beginning to file onto the deck as she made her way to the pilot's seat. She paid them no heed and settled herself into the chair, gripping both sticks with her hands. Not too bad, actually, she thought as she looked over each of the consoles. With nothing else better to do she started to run a full diagnostic on the ship with the help of the Lexington's on board computer. The two of them were going to get well-acquainted during this ship so it was probably best she start getting to know her now. Felicity was so absorbed in what she was doing that she barely even noticed the Captain coming up behind her...
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Griego leaned back against the bulkhead as he listened to the Quarians response and then paused as he considered the alien's question. "They call the job title Surveyor," he replied slowly, "Far as I'm concerned it means I'm a catch-all. I'm a part of the ground team whenever we go planet side, handle a lot of the equipment and what not... But I always seem to end up on the roster for any sort of labor intensive work needing done as well." He scoffed a bit towards the end before settling his gaze back on the Quarian. "How bout you?, Axun... You don't mind me callin' you that?"
Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Captain West came up from behind Felicity and stared over her shoulder as she manipulated the console during the preflight checks. The ships V.I .flashed indicator lights and navigation data in front of her as she needed it. “All systems are online and ready for take off.” The V.I. stated in a monotone female voice.
“You ever wonder why the majority of VI vocalize in female?” The captain asked Felicity. “I think it’s because male crewmen are more likely to listen to a female voice.” He continued his line of thought. “Imagine if it was a man with a harsh colonial accent insisting that you make a course correction. Heck I just hear some of the backwaters voices and feel confrontational. I mean in all the vids they are always portrayed in a certain way which conditions you for that.”
Pausing for a moment he then blazingly asked, “Are we going to have a problem with you and the other crew?”
“You ever wonder why the majority of VI vocalize in female?” The captain asked Felicity. “I think it’s because male crewmen are more likely to listen to a female voice.” He continued his line of thought. “Imagine if it was a man with a harsh colonial accent insisting that you make a course correction. Heck I just hear some of the backwaters voices and feel confrontational. I mean in all the vids they are always portrayed in a certain way which conditions you for that.”
Pausing for a moment he then blazingly asked, “Are we going to have a problem with you and the other crew?”
Domani, forget domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
Balsa is not a lie!
Posts: 9877
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 2:43 pm
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
"Axun is fine," the quarian affirmed. "I've been hired on for a similar position. I'll be acting as a scout or forward reconnaissance, so it looks like we've been assigned similar roles." Seeing the unasked question on Griego's lips, Axun smiled but realized the human could not see his expression. "Surprising, isn't it? I'm not here as an engineer or a machinist, but for some reason I still get these notices to help out down in engineering."
Griego nodded and continued to unpack, and Axun simply waited in the silence. Both of them, he realized, were relative loners, so the lack of conversation probably wasn't all that weird. But, after a few minutes, he figured it'd probably be best to get to know his roommate a bit better. "Griego, if you don't mind my asking, what brings you to this mission?"
Griego nodded and continued to unpack, and Axun simply waited in the silence. Both of them, he realized, were relative loners, so the lack of conversation probably wasn't all that weird. But, after a few minutes, he figured it'd probably be best to get to know his roommate a bit better. "Griego, if you don't mind my asking, what brings you to this mission?"
The one and only Stoban
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
A frown casted its way over Fallens feature's and he turned a bit to dig through his bag for a few moments as he contemplated a response. Griego had a past, the kind that like to follow you around wherever you went. Liked to keep making you pay for a mistake over and over again. It was naturally a touchy subject. The longer he let the silence go on, though, the more awkward things were bound to become. "Just trying to get by." he replied, looking back up at the alien. "Any paying job is a good job. I did some freelance work before but that life takes more than I was willing to give to get ahead. Working here for the company is just a better deal."
Pryngles
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
"So long as the other crew refrains from sexually harassing me we'll be fine, Captain," Felicity replied firmly then she happened to glance over her shoulder and catch the look he was giving her. "I'm not going to tolerate that kind of behavior and I think a punch in the mouth is a much more effective way of handling it than filing a report. Besides, when has filing a report ever solved a problem? I bet that deck officer will think twice before saying something like that again."
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Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
"Ah," Axun said. It didn't take a psychologist to tell that the human was reluctant to expand on his past, so the quarian let it slide. There really wasn't much else to say at this point, so after a bit of silence, Axun flicked on his omni-tool and started the article he had been meaning to read.
Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
Captain West nodded and then gave the order to move out. With a loud cranking sound the docking ring was taken off the ship and the terminal disengaged. Suddenly the ships drives burst sending the small merchant vessel darting off into the distance. Life on board a space ship was dreadfully dull. They jumped using mass relays into another system and then launched their FTL drives and spent hours, sometimes days reaching their destination.
This particular trip would take around one weeks. The route had consisted of four jumps to an Asari world where they unloaded a number of non perishable items, canned food, and taken on luxury goods consisting of fine silks, which the company had claimed to be completely frictionless. Another two jumps and a quick few hours in FTL had the ship arriving at Eden Prime, a human colony where they deposited half of the silken booty.
The next world they visited took a bit of travel to get to. Where as the others had all been in systems local to the Mass Effect Relay this one would eat up their travel time. It took around two days in FTL to get from the jumpgate to the Volus world. An argument quickly ensued with one of the stunted aliens about the cargo. He insisted that he only ordered a portion of the cargo and didn’t want the rest, the Asari then claimed that he needed to take the full order. Apparently there was some reaction that Volus skin had to the silks and therefore the market had dried up on the planet.
The Asari company as not pleased by this turn of events. They had even intended to simply throw the load out instead of paying the Captain to re-ship them, however Captain West quickly offered to pay 10% cost for the silks. He would pick up a pretty penny on the side later selling them and maybe keep several yards of the material for himself, maybe as a present for his sister.
The crew loaded several crates of high technological goods and prepared for their journey back home. The only stop on the way would be a single research facility where they would deposit the high technology goods for the labs. The ship left the Volus planet and once again entered FTL before jumping through the relay.
The Lexington had been an old picket ship in the military before it was bought by the captain and put to use as a small transport ship. As such it contained better than average sensors and communications equipment. It was for this reason only that the old patrol boat picked up the distress signal. The Lexington was releasing static energy into a planet that had built up from its last FTL jump when the signal had faintly some in. Once Carver on the communications system managed to filter out some of the static the message was simple “This is the research vessel Persephone to anyone who can hear us. We are attacked by pirates, we locked ourselves in the rear of the ship. Our bridge has been gutted and our vessel is out of control.”
“Send them a reply.” West said to Carver, “Tell them we are making best possible speed. We should be there in...” he paused and checked the coordinates, “Ten hours.”
“Aye sir.” Carver replied. “Inform the flight officer that we need to move out and of the course corrections.”
He walked over to a panel on the wall and pressed a button. “Attention, this is the Captain speaking, we have received a call of distress and are preparing to answer it. Sorry guys but its going to be a day or two more before we get back home...” he released the button and gave out a sigh thinking of his son. “What do we know about this ship?”
“Alliance Boss, an Ark ship, huge studying something about living animals and plants in space.”
“That’s it?” West asked as Carver looked over the database of ship registry’s contained on the Lexington. “Yes sir, it registered as a ship researching plants and animals.”
“Why would they be in the traverse though?”
“I donno captain. Less regulations?”
“Something seems wrong.” He paused and bit his lower lip, “I’ll be in my cabin tell me when we’re an hour out.”
“Aye sir.”
Julian left and reached the lift going down to the crew quarters on the second deck. He walked down a hall and into his personal quarters and laid down on the bed eyes open. He turned and glanced at a picture of his son. “Something is wrong.” He said simply. He keyed in the ships ID on the consul next to him and looked up the owner. “Progressive Eugenics.” He said aloud reading the name. He had heard of the company but didn’t know a lot of it.
“Lexi.” He said to the ships Virtual Inteligence. His son had named the program when he was only five, “Get me a quick article on Progressive Eugenics, the company.”
Data quickly appeared in front of him on the computer.
Progressive Eugenics was a small humancentric research and develop corporation that believed human evolution needed a helping hand. When gene therapy is used to cure a disease the gene remains recessive and often times gene therapy is used to treat the symptom but the disease itself remains, in either case the disease may be passed on. This caused a drain of Alliance resources that were inevitably used to cure and hospitalize children with such conditions, and in some cases would leave families broke.
The company decided to eliminate the problem through a more permanent form of gene therapy which would eventually lead to the elimination of many genetic diseases from select human populations, the populations that could afford it. Many athletes were recruited to endorse the program, along with politicians and other wealthy leaders who bought the therapy in order to bring out the most desirable traits in their children and eliminate hereditary conditions for generations to come.
Progressive Eugenics was on the rise its stocks skyrocketing when a batch of clients; including several Olympic athletes, wives of sports stars, and wealthy citizens, came into the facility to be injected. All were given treatment just like the others for their unborn children. Nearly fifty percent of the clients experienced miscarriages within the facility along with other complications during pregnancy, several women died.
In the wake of the tragedy stock prices plummeted. The company retained as many of the miscarried children as possible in an attempt to fix the problem with their therapy. Most contracts for therapy were signed on worlds like Illium where the law was loose and immorality high, in many cases the children were not released to the clients against the will of the parents. Law suits followed. As the company dealt with increasingly bad press and legal bills far in excess to anything they could afford the company folded, the reason for the catastrophic failure never to be determined.
“Why the hell would they be researching plants? Animals maybe see if they could reproduce the defect... but plants?” I don’t know. the computer replied to his thoughts. “I suppose we’ll find out in...” he looked over at his clock. “five hours.
This particular trip would take around one weeks. The route had consisted of four jumps to an Asari world where they unloaded a number of non perishable items, canned food, and taken on luxury goods consisting of fine silks, which the company had claimed to be completely frictionless. Another two jumps and a quick few hours in FTL had the ship arriving at Eden Prime, a human colony where they deposited half of the silken booty.
The next world they visited took a bit of travel to get to. Where as the others had all been in systems local to the Mass Effect Relay this one would eat up their travel time. It took around two days in FTL to get from the jumpgate to the Volus world. An argument quickly ensued with one of the stunted aliens about the cargo. He insisted that he only ordered a portion of the cargo and didn’t want the rest, the Asari then claimed that he needed to take the full order. Apparently there was some reaction that Volus skin had to the silks and therefore the market had dried up on the planet.
The Asari company as not pleased by this turn of events. They had even intended to simply throw the load out instead of paying the Captain to re-ship them, however Captain West quickly offered to pay 10% cost for the silks. He would pick up a pretty penny on the side later selling them and maybe keep several yards of the material for himself, maybe as a present for his sister.
The crew loaded several crates of high technological goods and prepared for their journey back home. The only stop on the way would be a single research facility where they would deposit the high technology goods for the labs. The ship left the Volus planet and once again entered FTL before jumping through the relay.
The Lexington had been an old picket ship in the military before it was bought by the captain and put to use as a small transport ship. As such it contained better than average sensors and communications equipment. It was for this reason only that the old patrol boat picked up the distress signal. The Lexington was releasing static energy into a planet that had built up from its last FTL jump when the signal had faintly some in. Once Carver on the communications system managed to filter out some of the static the message was simple “This is the research vessel Persephone to anyone who can hear us. We are attacked by pirates, we locked ourselves in the rear of the ship. Our bridge has been gutted and our vessel is out of control.”
“Send them a reply.” West said to Carver, “Tell them we are making best possible speed. We should be there in...” he paused and checked the coordinates, “Ten hours.”
“Aye sir.” Carver replied. “Inform the flight officer that we need to move out and of the course corrections.”
He walked over to a panel on the wall and pressed a button. “Attention, this is the Captain speaking, we have received a call of distress and are preparing to answer it. Sorry guys but its going to be a day or two more before we get back home...” he released the button and gave out a sigh thinking of his son. “What do we know about this ship?”
“Alliance Boss, an Ark ship, huge studying something about living animals and plants in space.”
“That’s it?” West asked as Carver looked over the database of ship registry’s contained on the Lexington. “Yes sir, it registered as a ship researching plants and animals.”
“Why would they be in the traverse though?”
“I donno captain. Less regulations?”
“Something seems wrong.” He paused and bit his lower lip, “I’ll be in my cabin tell me when we’re an hour out.”
“Aye sir.”
Julian left and reached the lift going down to the crew quarters on the second deck. He walked down a hall and into his personal quarters and laid down on the bed eyes open. He turned and glanced at a picture of his son. “Something is wrong.” He said simply. He keyed in the ships ID on the consul next to him and looked up the owner. “Progressive Eugenics.” He said aloud reading the name. He had heard of the company but didn’t know a lot of it.
“Lexi.” He said to the ships Virtual Inteligence. His son had named the program when he was only five, “Get me a quick article on Progressive Eugenics, the company.”
Data quickly appeared in front of him on the computer.
Progressive Eugenics was a small humancentric research and develop corporation that believed human evolution needed a helping hand. When gene therapy is used to cure a disease the gene remains recessive and often times gene therapy is used to treat the symptom but the disease itself remains, in either case the disease may be passed on. This caused a drain of Alliance resources that were inevitably used to cure and hospitalize children with such conditions, and in some cases would leave families broke.
The company decided to eliminate the problem through a more permanent form of gene therapy which would eventually lead to the elimination of many genetic diseases from select human populations, the populations that could afford it. Many athletes were recruited to endorse the program, along with politicians and other wealthy leaders who bought the therapy in order to bring out the most desirable traits in their children and eliminate hereditary conditions for generations to come.
Progressive Eugenics was on the rise its stocks skyrocketing when a batch of clients; including several Olympic athletes, wives of sports stars, and wealthy citizens, came into the facility to be injected. All were given treatment just like the others for their unborn children. Nearly fifty percent of the clients experienced miscarriages within the facility along with other complications during pregnancy, several women died.
In the wake of the tragedy stock prices plummeted. The company retained as many of the miscarried children as possible in an attempt to fix the problem with their therapy. Most contracts for therapy were signed on worlds like Illium where the law was loose and immorality high, in many cases the children were not released to the clients against the will of the parents. Law suits followed. As the company dealt with increasingly bad press and legal bills far in excess to anything they could afford the company folded, the reason for the catastrophic failure never to be determined.
“Why the hell would they be researching plants? Animals maybe see if they could reproduce the defect... but plants?” I don’t know. the computer replied to his thoughts. “I suppose we’ll find out in...” he looked over at his clock. “five hours.
Domani, forget domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
Let's live for now and anyhow who needs domani?
~ Frank Sinatra, Forget Domani
Balsa is not a lie!
Posts: 9877
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 2:43 pm
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 2:43 pm
Re: Mass Effect: Chimera
A mysterious distress signal from a stranded ship. That was always interesting, and Axun'Locas was quite excited that there was now a mission that involved more than just transporting goods. So far, the assignments had not lived up to the advertised explorations and survey, which meant that he'd not have any real chance to satisfy his Pilgrimage requirements; this suited Axun just fine, though he would have preferred something less dull.
The quarian was in his quarters, examining and checking his suit. The environmental garb was a modified version given to all quarians, in the sense that it was tougher to damage and was built to higher specifications; this was necessary in his reconnaissance line of work. The suit itself was a shade of black with dark-gray and navy blue highlights. Axun had devoted a few evenings decorating the suit with various runes and designs; the left sleeve was covered in an intricate pattern designed by her. Just looking at the swirls and twists made him melancholic; he had considered removing the design but could never bring himself to do so.
He glanced at the chronometer and saw that there was still quite a few hours left until contact with the marooned vessel. With a shrug, Axun continued to check his equipment.
The quarian was in his quarters, examining and checking his suit. The environmental garb was a modified version given to all quarians, in the sense that it was tougher to damage and was built to higher specifications; this was necessary in his reconnaissance line of work. The suit itself was a shade of black with dark-gray and navy blue highlights. Axun had devoted a few evenings decorating the suit with various runes and designs; the left sleeve was covered in an intricate pattern designed by her. Just looking at the swirls and twists made him melancholic; he had considered removing the design but could never bring himself to do so.
He glanced at the chronometer and saw that there was still quite a few hours left until contact with the marooned vessel. With a shrug, Axun continued to check his equipment.
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