Cath

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Stavanger Spaceport backed onto fjords to the north, but the approach from the south had been carefully landscaped to maximise usable space and access. A carefully choreographed district of workshops and offices separated large parking areas for passengers and staff. It was in one of those freezing cold parking areas that Tyreese Darnell found himself crouched behind a Norwegian police car as its spinning lights shone lit up the snow around him.

His group had made it quite close to the Jotunheim’s hangar when a heavy machine gun had started firing at them from one of the concourse windows. Having made sure he wasn’t dying from a stray bullet to the bullet proof vest under his suit jacket, Darnell clutched a satellite phone to one ear once he’d made a connection with his Tamerlane handler. Its aerial wiggled whenever he flinched at the bullets which dunted into the metalwork around him.

“Mr Darnell, what is the status of the Jotunheim? Over.”

Dunt, Dunt Dunt Dunt. Civilians ran from cover to cover - the ones that didn’t were already lying face down on the cold floor.

“I can’t get through to them; they have some kind of jammer on us!”

“What is the status of the Tamerlane security detachment? We can’t make contact with them.”

“Whoever attacked us took them out first. I barely escaped the blast - they are looking for the Jo!”

A nearby car exploded, flipping over and onto the other side of the police cruiser. Windows shattered, spraying glass all over Darnell’s suit. He threw himself onto the floor and started crawling away.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Tyreese spluttered, blood trickling into his mouth from cuts on his face.

“Focus on my voice, Mr Darnell. Who are you with? Can you get to the Jotunheim?”

“Even though it isn’t even close to my job, I paid some Israelis i just met a MILLION Euro day rate from my fucking CREDIT CARD to get me there. Where is my back up?”

The Israelis in question numbered five in total and were armed to the teeth, like they’d just got back from a mission themselves. They crouched behind various nearby vehicles and attempted to exercise fire control on the invisible assailants. Their leader, Ezra, stuck close to Darnell and calmly co-ordinated the others in Hebrew.

“I don’t care how much it costs, Mr Darnell. I need you to do whatever it takes to make contact with the spaceship sat in hangar 147. We have a platoon enroute from our site in Murmansk but that’s going to take some time. You are Tamerlane’s eyes and ears at this moment.”

“MURMANSK!?” Tyreese yelled as he tried to get up. Ezra pushed him back down and fired most of a magazine into a set of plate glass windows in front of them.

“I need the whole fucking world down here 45 minutes ago!” He shouted over the din.

“Mr Darnell, we’ve got to move.” Ezra grunted, grabbing Tyreese and hefting him off the floor - no easy feat considering the suited consultant clocked in at over 14 stone himself.

The squad had eliminated the threat and they moved as one organism towards a staircase elevating them into the main concourse, Tyreese clutching his sat phone and briefcase in the middle.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Updated

Evangaline

Name: Evangeline Edwards
Species: Human
Appearance: Short, blonde, and soft typically describes Eva rather well. She keeps her long blonde hair tied up in some form of knot, and 'lithe' describes her rather well, soft pale skin that one would not typically think of when a job such as 'javelin pilot' comes to mind. In fact she seems to have little to no abnormal muscle build, being entirely physically average outside of her suit. Her eyes are a strange gold color, and she enjoys darker eyeshadow, and a full range of different nail polishes. Her closet is once again, something one would never typically see from a Javelin pilot, though hers has two very clear divisions. One end of her closet contains clothing she wears when piloting. Skin-tight, form fitting and easily worn while piloting the Javelins that conform perfectly to the pilot's body. The second is full of more flowy clothing, skirts, glorified schoolgirl outfits and anything one might seen a young, upbeat civilian girl wearing.

A few oddities other than her eye color include,
Just below her hair line, placed in the back of her neck, is a small metallic port, the neural interface required to use her Javelin.
A tattoo just below her Neural Interface that has been partially tattooed over, reading "Property of UNSC E.A.D Your Mother!"
Her extended canine teeth, appearing nearly fanglike. Something she finds incredibly amusing, as well as something she is incredibly fond of. "Money well spent!"

Equipment

Ranger Class Javelin - Custom Configuration, Heavy EVA "Overseer" Height-8ft Weight-750LBS
Modified from her original millitary Javelin, the "Overseer" configuration focuses heavily on exploration of hostile and otherwise toxic environments, and the upkeep and monitoring of nearby connected drones via the pilot's neural interface. Completely sealed once the pilot is within, it sports it's own air filtration system, a small amount of additional oxygen as well as a chemically resistant carapace and an inner gel layer that disperses extra heat, helping regulate the pilot's body temperature in otherwise lethal cold or heat. Due to it's size and strength it also sees use in heavy lifting and construction purposes, though this is more attributed to the base Ranger frame rather than it's modifications.

The Overseer sports an upgraded power supply that allows it to generate small amounts of energy from sunlight, and even exchange charge with compatible drones. In optimal situations, the "Overseer" variant is capable of maintaining an exploratory venture alongside their drones for three days if allowed pause within sunny environments.

ERU

Exploratory Rescue Unit - "Rover" Quantity-(1)
A doglike drone commonly used in rescue ventures. The ERU is capable of detecting a myriad of frequencies and following them to their origin point. Within a short range, it is also capable of detecting heartbeats. It is normally equipped with several small pouches of medical supplies meant for emergency treatment of rescued operatives. Capable of a short line of independent action, it's overall goal is to maintain the safety of those around it.

SEU

Scientific Exploratory Unit - "Arachne" Quantity-(4)
Designed specifically for gathering a myriad of information on their surroundings in a short period of time. The SEU is equipped with a number of instruments for both gathering local information, and collecting samples of materials. They are capable of a short line of independent thought, and will warn their Overseer of hazardous materials or locations before they are reached, and will actively avoid entering areas that may cause damage to themselves unless ordered. Extremely effective when deployed in pairs, or even larger groups. The drones will communicate with each other and their overseer to more easily access larger and larger areas even with small groups of drones.

Augmentations: Neural Interface - Designed specifically for users to intimately interact with technology that either requires it, or lacks any other means of operation. This Neural Interface allows interaction with most technology due to a self proclaimed "Skeleton Key Program" That allows it to emulate normal processes that would occur during normal interaction with said technology. Evangaline required rather invasive brain surgery to acquire such an interface, and requires it in order to pilot her Javelin

As a side benefit, it also retains basic functionality even without interaction with other tech, allowing for construction of a basic map of the land the user has seen, receiving messages through authorized channels and sending of silent messages to other technology capable of accepting them.

Occupation: EVA and Robotics Specialist
Key skills:
Drone usage and upkeep
Though recent training, Eva has taken rather well to the maintenance and usage of exploratory drones, especially due to her experience in the usage of her Neural Interface. Easily able to perform alongside multiple drones, and give silent orders as well as receive communications from them at any time they are within range.

Military Experience
Years spent in combat situations, and even more time spent as a glorified child soldier experiment has given Eva quite the experience in stressful situations, and moments where her life is in danger. She wears her Javelin like a second skin, and has a surprising amount of fine motor control while wearing it. She also has intimate knowledge of firearms, military equipment and it's upkeep.

Personality: Excitable and joy filled, single minded determination, upsetting to hold a conversation with... just a few ways to put into words what Eva is like. It's a strange mix, the youthful excitement and hopefulness of a child just recently allowed to explore the world outside her home mixed with the obvious signs of PTSD comparable to a war veteran, and is even more pronounced the more one interacts with her. Evangaline doesn't use the names people tell her, and instead uses nicknames in most cases. As she often mentions herself when asked about the sometimes annoying or rude habit, she responds "Survive longer than a month around me and I might learn your name... no promise I'll remember it though, easier that way."

Backstory: Born on a Military Science orbital station, Eva never knew the surface of a planet until she was eventually released upon the universe, much to the dismay of many. Her parents, now both criminals for illegal human experimentation, child experimentation, use of and development of child soldiers, and many other frankly disturbing crimes... Eva was frankly headed for a quick and violent doom until she met Jacobs. Jacobs, an older man who was unfortunate enough to have known Eva's parents close enough to be named her godfather and proved to be the girl's saving grace. A former Javelin pilot himself, he tutored her further as to the more detailed moments of becoming a Javelin Pilot, and even she will tell anybody who asks that he's saved her life many times over.

@TinyKiwi

Thanks for making these changes - you are accepted! Welcome aboard

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Got something up, finally.

Evangaline

Name: Evangeline Edwards
Species: Human
Appearance: Short, blonde, and soft typically describes Eva rather well. She keeps her long blonde hair tied up in some form of knot, and 'lithe' describes her rather well, soft pale skin that one would not typically think of when a job such as 'javelin pilot' comes to mind. In fact she seems to have little to no abnormal muscle build, being entirely physically average outside of her suit. Her eyes are a strange gold color, and she enjoys darker eyeshadow, and a full range of different nail polishes. Her closet is once again, something one would never typically see from a Javelin pilot, though hers has two very clear divisions. One end of her closet contains clothing she wears when piloting. Skin-tight, form fitting and easily worn while piloting the Javelins that conform perfectly to the pilot's body. The second is full of more flowy clothing, skirts, glorified schoolgirl outfits and anything one might seen a young, upbeat civilian girl wearing.

A few oddities other than her eye color include,
Just below her hair line, placed in the back of her neck, is a small metallic port, the neural interface required to use her Javelin.
A tattoo just below her Neural Interface that has been partially tattooed over, reading "Property of UNSC E.A.D Your Mother!"
Her extended canine teeth, appearing nearly fanglike. Something she finds incredibly amusing, as well as something she is incredibly fond of. "Money well spent!"

Equipment

Ranger Class Javelin - Custom Configuration "Frontline" Height-8ft Weight-750LBS
A heavily modified Ranger Class Javelin, this configuration trades some mobility for heavier armor and a small, onboard shield generator located around the wrist, allowing for a directional energy shield to be deployed. Though this limits the flight range by producing a larger draw on the suit's power generator, it gives the suit much more defensive capability. The Suit is capable of short range flight, it's armor resistant to small arms fire up to smaller caliber Sniper Rifles, with the sub layer of energy dispersing gel just below the armor allowing for resistances against low energy laser and plasma weaponry. However the suit is left vulnerable to EMPs, large electric discharges, and high energy laser or plasma weaponry, as well as heavy weaponry such as higher caliber rifles and explosives. An EMP targeted to the suit can prove disastrous, forcing a complete shut-down and trapping the pilot inside the non-functional glorified coffin until the system reboots, or somebody pries them out of it. The entire suit relies on an onboard power generator to function, as well as a Neural Interface adapted to fit each pilot. This means not only is the suit prone to overheating in extreme situations, but extreme damage to circuitry can cause injury or even fatalities to Javelin Pilots.


MA5B Light Machine Gun
A gun designed specifically for use by Javelins, the MA5B is a heavy infantry weapon modified for use by Javelins in much the same way infantry might use standard ballistic assault rifles. It's higher caliber means it hits rather hard, but the slow rate of fire and limited ammunition requires the pilot to be more accurate with their shots. The weapon is typically meant for mid-range combat, the effective maximum range being roughly 700m. The particular rifle carried by Eva has been modified to allow for both automatic fire and semi-automatic fire.

Fallback Firearm - M6 Pistol
Located within a compartment just inside her Javelin, this pistol is rarely if ever used. It is a backup firearm, meant to be used by the pilot in the case their Javelin is non-functional.

Augmentations: Neural Interface - Designed specifically for users to intimately interact with technology that either requires it, or lacks any other means of operation. This Neural Interface allows interaction with most technology due to a self proclaimed "Skeleton Key Program" That allows it to emulate normal processes that would occur during normal interaction with said technology. Evangaline required rather invasive brain surgery to acquire such an interface, and requires it in order to pilot her Javelin

As a side benefit, it also retains basic functionality even without interaction with other tech, allowing for construction of a basic map of the land the user has seen, receiving messages through authorized channels and sending of silent messages to other technology capable of accepting them.

Occupation: Javelin Pilot/ Forward Scout / Infantry Support
Key skills and notable information:
Combat Experience - Born to parents more interested in the idea of child soldiers than they were with the raising of a child. Evangeline as a result had little to no childhood, but at only twenty years old has more technical and knowledge and full experience of firearms, combat tactics and survival in active warzones that she often puts active soldiers to shame.

Battle Trance - Very much an active conflict seeker, Evangeline has developed her own way of dealing with constant strife, bloodshed and loss of life. Close to a meditative state of sorts, Eva claims it leaves her on 'autopilot' and allows her to act and react to situations, especially hostile, with little to no pause. However this has also affected her negatively, causing her to slip into this state during moments of great stress as a method of self preservation.

Jacobs - Jacobs is one of the only people with complete access to Eva's Javelin and it's systems, acting in a supportive role. Accessing the data from the Javelin's onboard radar, map and any information received through Eva's Neural Interface. Jacobs acts as a line of defense and 'traffic control' for Eva's Neural Interface, helping to lessen the burden on Eva. Jacobs manages incoming communications, map data, and more from a remote location, meaning that when communications are cut off, Eva loses a surprising amount of efficiency.

Weaknesses - Despite her extensive training and combat experience, Eva is still a young lady and is physically inept in hand to hand combat without her suit, and especially against trained opponents. She is very clearly suited to combat when aided by her Javelin, and when without it relies very heavily on surprise ambush tactics for survival. She also lacks many social graces and is often considered blunt, or scatterbrained in normal situations. Her young life as a glorified test subject has obviously affected her negatively, however she remains stable and effective enough for her superiors to push such details to the side as long as she consents to psychological evaluations at regular intervals.

Personality: Excitable and joy filled, single minded determination, upsetting to hold a conversation with... just a few ways to put into words what Eva is like. It's a strange mix, the youthful excitement and hopefulness of a child just recently allowed to explore the world outside her home mixed with the obvious signs of PTSD comparable to a war veteran, and is even more pronounced the more one interacts with her. Evangaline doesn't use the names people tell her, and instead uses nicknames in most cases. As she often mentions herself when asked about the sometimes annoying or rude habit, she responds "Survive longer than a month around me and I might learn your name... no promise I'll remember it though, easier that way."

Backstory: Born on a Military Science orbital station, Eva never knew the surface of a planet until she was eventually released upon the universe, much to the dismay of many. Her parents, now both criminals for illegal human experimentation, child experimentation, use of and development of child soldiers, and many other frankly disturbing crimes... Eva was frankly headed for a quick and violent doom until she met Jacobs. Jacobs, an older man who was unfortunate enough to have known Eva's parents close enough to be named her godfather and proved to be the girl's saving grace. A former Javelin pilot himself, he tutored her further as to the more detailed moments of becoming a Javelin Pilot, and even she will tell anybody who asks that he's saved her life many times over.

@TinyKiwi

Thanks for submitting I will send you my feedback on Discord.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

“Captain, do we have any clue how many or how far away from here they are or if we’re getting any help this week?”

@Starlance

"Negative. ATC is kind of busy. I'll try again, over." Zey shot back, before opening up a secure line with the control centre in charge of dispatching and receiving craft.

“SISTraC, this is J147 requesting again for immediate clearance to launch. Please advise on the situation on the ground. Over.” Zey was left hanging for a moment. The bridge door slide open - *shuuk* - and when the Captain looked back she saw Bosko Janković entering. The short and heavy-set, grey bearded Serb gave her a friendly wave and a smile before shuffling past her to check something in the Pilot’s chair. Zey patted him on the shoulder like a feverish person might to check they were actually real.

“J147 this is SISTraC.” Came the fuzzy reply over comms.

“You are NOT cleared for expedited takeoff, say again do NOT launch. Terminals 2, 3 & 4 are Code Black - Home Guard are en route. Head to the designated secure area and wait for further instructions.”

Zey immediately fired back: “SISTraC that's a negative, we cannot do that. We’re IN terminal 4 and have sensitive property on board. Requesting urgent security assistance.”

“J147 all security assets are tied up right now. Leave your craft and head for safety.”

Zey terminated the connection with the traffic control centre and shouted “FUCK!” at the back of Bosko’s head as he made last minute adjustments. He didn’t even look around when he spoke back.

“What is plan boss? We tooling up and busting out of here on foot?”

Zey considered her options for a couple of seconds.

“No, get ready to launch. We’re moving the Jo.”

She clicked her communicator back on to talk to Vigdis.

“Vigdis be advised - hostiles may be in the terminal and heading this way. Soldiers are coming but no timelines yet. Keep your eyes open and move fast. We need everything packed up and ready to move yesterday.”

When the message came back that Vigdis had secured loading bots to get the last of the cargo on board, Zey moved for the door.

“Bosko you have the Bridge.”

“Aye Captain.”

She had barely made it two steps out the door when she was speaking again.

“Come in Engineering, give me a sitrep, over.”

---

A large number of people were fleeing down the concourse now. A crowd of a few dozen had gathered outside Hangar 147, and the people at the front were arguing with the Tamerlane security guard and a hastily erected blockade in the doorway. They couldn’t close the blast doors because members of the crew were still making their way over, so the guard had to stand firm and reason with these people to keep moving to designated assembly points. AKA anywhere but here.

Suddenly, the sound of distant gunfire mingled with the blaring klaxons and announcements. The crowd started shouting even louder and jostling forward. The guard went for his stun gun but got pushed over. People charged into the hangar bay towards the Jotunheim.

---

The sound of shouting could be heard even inside, on account of the open cargo doors. Zey, fresh off from Engineering, asked:

“What's happening out there? Someone give me a visual!”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Hangar 147, Stavanger Interplanetary Spaceport, Norway, Earth

“Passengers, make your way to designated evacuation points. Security to Terminals five and six. Sikkerhet til terminal fem og seks takk...”

Nearby klaxons blared out these hurried announcements over the spaceport’s tannoy system. It was early morning, and dark outside. Red emergency lights flashed over the concourse’s usual sterile white ambiance. The hangar system used by aviation MRO outfits and private companies was bolted onto the side of the commercial spaceport, but was still accessible to the mass of international passengers via a long concourse.

Some of these civilians had evidently gotten lost and were milling around next to industrial equipment and blue overalled engineers. Many had now realised there were charter craft, ready to go, in the vicinity. Confused shouting and the sound of boots on deckplate echoed through the open blast doors into Hangar 147 where the Jotunheim sat.



Most of the crew had slept aboard their craft on the final night before their extended test voyage, but some of them were still missing. Zeynap ‘Zey’ Kadıoğlu stood in the ship’s narrow bridge with a communicator pressed close to her lips.

“J147 actual to all crew, come in! We are launching in fifteen minutes, make sure you’re here or we leave without you. Over.”

Zey glanced out of the Jotunheim’s reinforced forward window. With a rolling clank, the large hangar bay doors were opening to expose a moody pre-dawn vista. Stavanger Spaceport edged out onto a fjord, where the installation’s lights danced over black waters and rugged cliffs.



She turned away, looked at the empty seats on her bridge, and sighed. She opened a view of the external cameras on her terminal and took in the pallets of supplies sitting on the floor, waiting to be loaded. The Jotunheim’s loading doors were open and the ramp was down. Zey activated her communicator again.

“Vigdis, are you still aboard? Come in. I need someone to get those pallets into our cargo bay. Find me a deckhand and some loading bots.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

LOCAL TREE LITERALLY TOO ANGRY TO DIE

"If the gods wanted me to die, then they didn't try hard enough." 🎶"In the mist of the morning a winter's day came a man in robe from far away. Out of ashes and clay of the magic vale, 'cause sorrow sails on the Warlock's trail."🎶

Species

Shirik is an Iriad, despite their appearance. They do not have the same biological functions as a typical Iriad, but they are still a plantlike being nonetheless. They've been changed by magic, and now consider themself something else.

Appearance

Most Iriad are willowy creatures with skin for bark and leaves for "hair." Shirik's body, however, is charred black and caked with ashes that never seem to disappear. What was once branches that stemmed from their body are now jagged stumps that smoke with dried tree sap, and their bark-like skin as peeled away in some places to reveal an exterior beneath. Like metal armor, Shirik's skin is merely an outer shell that conceals a roaring, crackling inferno underneath, which seeps out through their joints. If the Iriad as a people are a forest, then Shirik is a tree burned black from the inside out by a wildfire.

Magical Affiliation

Shirik is a heat mage down to their very core. Literally.

Occupation

TBA

Key Skills

• Heat Domain Mastery - As someone who is roughly a thousand years old, Shirik may as well have wrote the book on the heat domain. They're a master at it, to the point that Shirik is sustained by fire. They do not even need to eat food because of their affinity for magic.
• Survival - Geography, foraging, navigation, and even tracking. Shirik has travelled a lot over the years and therefore picked up such skills overtime. They know how to figure out the quickest or safest course to a destination, or what is and isn't edible.
• Wisdom of Travel - Having been all over Kanth-Aramek, Shirik has visited every major city, learned every language, and explored the ruins of virtually every important thing on the planet. If a word needs translation, Shirik can provide. If someone needs to know what to not do to offend a certain population, just ask Shirik. If there is a question of history not written in the books, Shirik may have the answer.

Backstory

One thousand years ago, Shirik lived in the Myriad among their people. The forest was untouched by the outside world for as long as the sun had risen and was as old as the sea. Everything changed when the Empire set fire to the great cities. Shirk watched the S'Tor soldiers light the first sparks, and was consumed by the blaze in minutes. As the fire rolled against their skin, and pain took over, Shirk could only see light. And they saw it through a hundred billion embers that became a hundred billion eyes.

Every fraction of warmth rippled through the trees like waves across an ocean, travelling an endless distance before a collision determined by fate, only to join into a greater flame. From the smallest traces of what was at one point an unchanged thing could because an effigy of the very thing by which creation was facilitated. The flame gives, and the flame takes. That was the lesson instilled in Shirik over the course of a length of time they could not have quantified. The light of the infernos were blinding, and the heat consumed everything that it touched. Everything except Shirik. They experienced an awakening, so real and profound that they entered a state of uninterrupted meditation. All Iriads could hibernate, but to do so while being burned alive was... Simply indescribable.

The fire gives. The fire takes. The fire gives. The fire takes. The fire gives. The fire takes. The fire gives. The fire-

When they finally woke up, what was once a boundless horizon of green and brown was little more than a shriveled plain of ash and dead wood. The moon was obscured by smoke, and the only light was from Shirik's body. They felt absolutely nothing of the pain they felt before, but Shirik felt alive. Flames rolled from their body, and after the smallest movement of their hands, the flames reacted. Shirik was no longer the same person. When they found their people, they could not engage them safely. Fire exploded from their finger tips with every motion, and so Shirik had to leave or risk endangering the Myriad further. Their mind was an endless storm of rage, pain and confusion, and Shirik's own people could not stay safe in their presence.

Shirik left, and travelled to a far, distant part of Kanth-Aramek, where they would spend the next 600 years learning to understand their newfound power. Endless sessions of meditation to heal their wounded mind, endless hours spent harnessing the unfaltering blaze that bonded with them, and prolonging of their lifespan through hibernation helped to calm Shirik. They learned how to make the fire bend to their will, but their perception of time became a blur. To them, it only felt like a few years had passed, but it was actually centuries of isolation. Once they felt ready to step back into the world, Shirik was met with talks of something called magic in the new age they had lived to experience. Others were beginning to understand the things that Shirik had been exposed to centuries before. This was a time when Shirik was not an outlier by their presence, but by their own skill... They could work with that.

For the next 400 years, Shirik caught up with the world, learning about the gaps in history that they missed, travelling to the cities now forgotten by the Kolodon Empire, and left to fend for themselves, and meeting others who had been opened to the power of magic. This was not the same world they lived in once, Shirik was a living relic from the past now, but there was something waiting for them all this time, given to them long before the world was ready for it. All they had to do was walk forward and find a place in it. Their place, however, never stayed in one spot. Shirik travelled all across Kanth-Aramek in search of wisdom and understanding, and learned much about what the world was catching up on. They've been thinking about paying a visit to the Ascendency to apply their skill with the heat domain, but a star fell from the sky, and so a change of plans was in order.

Something was about to happen, and Shirik was going to be a part of it.

@Blizz

You are accepted! I will work on finishing my character, then i think we'll get started! Anyone who wants to join can still join afterwards though, don't worry

The Cradle

Top potential landing sites appeared on the map table as small red circles. Dr Lang didn’t move from her position behind Marae - instead she reviewed the locations through implants while processing other data.

Masgard did move over to study the automatically generated dossiers for each zone.

“Hmm, so we have one high mountain cave, partially covered in roots and shoots... Its a few dozen klicks from that mined-out site you mentioned. We’ve got an underground lake close to one of the largest population centres of the largest clan…and we’ve got some…rotten old bough?”

“That looks like the closest unused section of the Morgrawal to its Heart. All of the root systems begin there. Might mean something.” Freyr murmured, lights flashing underneath the shades of her AR glasses.

“So where should we go?” Masgard asked.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Here's my bid for an accidental crewmember.

Engineer - Vigdis

Jonsdottir, Vigdis

Species: Human (Venerian)

Appearance

SPACER

Picture

Voice: Ashly Burch

Age: 29

Height: 161 cm (5'3")

Weight: 58 kg (128 lb)

Misc. features:

• Second degree burns on hands caused by exposure to coolant vapor.
• Scarring on the left side of both lips and chin caused by fragments of exploding machinery.
• Limp due to left ankle fracture.

Augmentations: None.

Occupation: Ship Engineer

Skillset:

• Strengths
  
  
  • Mechanical engineering - Material engineering being her speciality, Vigdis is nonetheless capable of performing a wide variety of disciplines related to ME up to and including design of new items from scratch.
  • Electrical engineering - Low or high voltage, from robotics to reactors, Vigdis remains competent and versatile through a wide range of EE disciplines, though somewhat behind full-time electricians.
  • Cooking - Vigdis picked up the ability to turn practically any set of ingredients or leftovers into a half-decent meal at the university, a skill she credits with retaining her sanity during those five years.
• Weaknesses
  
  
  • Combat - Being a full-blown grease moneky, Vigdis only received basic training in both firearms and unarmed combat.
  • Coding - With her degree and training primary consisting of the "nuts and bolts" sort, she considers software to be dark arts.
  • Mobility Impairment - Despite corrective surgery, her ankle injury left her with a limp. While a nuisance in day-to-day, it slows her down noticebaly when running and she may require pain medication if strain is put on the injured ankle for too long.

Backstory: Vigdis was born to a pilot and a teacher in the Venerain capital, Mariner. Spurred by her father, she steered her education toward science and engineering. Initially she regretted her decision as she got hit with biology and chemistry, but all doubt was dispersed when she first used a welder. Soldiering through the all-encompassing high school, Vigdis now had a clearly defined direction when selecting her university, obtaining her master's degree in material engineering at the age of 23.

With unrest throughout Sol, Vigdis figured the military would be a good place to gain experience very quickly, entering with the rank of Specialist due to her degree. It was a good bet, as unrest throughout Sol meant a lot of damaged assets that needed to be recovered or repaired, a task Vigdis was assigned to. She spent the next four years cruising the inner Solar system between stricken ships aboard a Venerian salvage ship as part of the team getting them up and running if possible and breaking them down to be more easily towed to a scrapyard if not. Unfortunately, as is often with military and emergency services, the pay was not great, especially with the job leaving several permanent marks on her health, so by the time her EAS date came up, she already had a private sector job lined up, the Stavanger shipyard and spaceport offering a workteam supervisor position right out of the gate with some new project being commissioned.

Day by day, she and her fellow workers watched the new ship grow under their hands. Once it had been finished, Vigdis was one of the technicians tasked with maintaining the Jotunheim while it was docked at Stavanger, continuing to lead the team responsible for hull and structural frame. She happened to be on board when the fighting started, performing routine checks of one of the airlocks and had simply decided she'd be safer and more useful if she stayed aboard, especially as the launch clock ticked down toward zero and the ship's actual engineer was still nowhere to be found.

Equipment:

Jackal SPW

The Jackal Spaceborne Personal Weapon is an electromagnetic 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun fed from a detachable, eight-round box magazine. Designed for use on starships to minimize the risk of damaging sensitive equipment or breaching the hull, it can be easily used by inexperienced shooters as well as in microgravity thanks to its complex recoil damping system. Fitted with a two-point sling and a duckbill muzzle device that allows subcaliber AP darts to be fired normally, but directs anti-personnel flechettes into a horizontal line rather than a conventional spread.

Fritjof

A six year old male Norwegian Forest Cat, officially on board for vermin control. In unofficial truth a 5 kg furry morale booster for every member of the crew possessing a standard-issue human soul.

@Starlance

Prospector

Name: Fret Chappel
Species: Human (Earthican)
Appearance:



Augmentations: Fret has poor eyesight due to an injury sustained while he was in the pan Eurindian army. As such he has a cybernetic third eye implanted in his forehead which helps him to see and has all of the functionality of a smartphone of that time.
Magical affiliation: None developed yet.
Occupation: Prospector
Key skills: 1. Common Knowledge of War 2. Wilderness Survival 3. Technology
Backstory:

Fret was born to a family of 5 and was recruited out of school into the long range desert group. He saw action in the Himalayas and was present in battles between the Eurindian Technocracy and the Lunar Monarchy. The Lunar Monarchy having issued letters of marque that allowed the harassment and confiscation of goods and personnel from the Eurindian space ports and fleet. This state of affairs could not be allowed to continue.

The state of affairs that led to the creation of Eurindia was a period of techno-barbarism where warfare between rival cyber-enhanced humans vying for ownership or access to ever more advanced cyber technology and weaponry led to a complete collapse of the state. Out of this an extremely small group of enhanced humans formed the Eurindian Technocracy. During this period of unrest the Lunar colony reached ascendancy and formed a monarchy based on vast trading wealth from within the system.

Equipment:

Romer pattern rifleers rifle:

A solid projectile weapon given to line infantrymen of the Technocracy.

Stedholder pattern sidearm.

A backup weapon using solid projectiles and improved propellant.

Survival Bag.
A bag containing everything necessary to survive in the wilderness for weeks. Things included are an astronaut tent with warmth-conserving foil. Ration lamp to heat food via light. Miniature thorium "lifetime" battery of the Technocracy. Condensation collectors and poles. Improved aluminum boots. Sat-phone with backup parts. Oxygen scrubber canisters. Climbing ropes and tackle. Medi-gel. Ration foam. Maxi-fibre TM insulate clothing and bedding. Writing e-paper booklet. Knee pads. Hydrogen and Oxygen "tic-tacs". Prospectors pick and hand held diagnosticator. Cheap i-bay plastic astrolabe.

Music.

Music

@Steel Legion

Both accepted, thanks!

The Cradle

Masgard nodded, relaying their recommendation via a direct line to Captain Andersen. She had been spending more time analysing the makeup of Earth’s fleet than the simulation. Tapping a stylus pensively against her bottom lip with arms crossed, she stared at the system’s holographic map. After a few moments, she got in touch with the Rothian Admiral.

“Andersen here. The team is requesting they stay put while we move back. I don't like it. I recommend we go one further - put them down somewhere safe on the surface. They can hide while we make this next part of the battle look realistic.”