Due to an oxymoronic combination of being both spoilt for choice, and not having enough fleshed out ideas for a character, it will probably be quite some time before I actually get around to dropping a character sheet in here. I'll be keeping an eye on this but don't wait up for me.
@Jones Sparrow Ashley wouldn't have access to this info, given it isn't pertinent to her role as one of the operating convicts aboard the ship. It'd just be dizzy's character getting the files :)
Thanks for humouring us on this. I absolutely love world building and can quite easily lose myself in a fictional setting. Can't wait to get going and a collab post should help scratch the itch whilst meaning you do not have to rush on our behalf.
It'd basically grant the character permission to know data that is in people's bio sections, if it is something that the Galactic Committee would know. Give the character a good conversation starter whilst trying to figure out people's psychological profiles to report back why the Marauder is as successful as it is, amongst other things.
E.g: "So... Ashley. Why Pride? Why not Lust or Envy?"
@Mistress Dizzy and I are considering perhaps doing a 1x1 encounter via pm whilst we wait for the opporunity to post in the main storythread. Is that okay with you? I could add you to it if you wanted to be able to see what is going on. We are both just eager to get in character but don't want to spam the main thread with irrelevant content.
Also, I feel as though, given her profession @Mistress Dizzy's character would have some element of briefing on the crew prior to joining and therefore know some of the other character's backgrounds, wheras Ashley or othernewcomers wouldn't unless it was known publicly. Your thoughts on this?
Whichever way you feel better suits the Committee methodology is fine by me. I don't think the spire has been visited yet in character so it might be interesting for everyone to see the hub of Galactic Committee politics, experience some culture, get briefed and have some downtime for characters to get to know one another perhaps?
I don't know the lean here between combat preference players who want action and those who are quite happy to spend a few posts performing character development through social rp. Personally I enjoy a good mix. Action is great, but should facilitate the plot rather than be the objective of the plot (is my personal opinion on the matter).
No biggie. I have been considering just throwing in a post set in the monroe's public areas so some social rp can be done. Orrrr... Are new characters being introduced a new group being supplemented by the galactic committee? Perhaps to replace fallen crew?
Name: Ashley (Ash for short.) Hunter AKA: Pride (In the context of the deadly sin.) Sex: Female. Age: 23 Race: Human.
Height: 5' 7" Skin colour and tone: White, slightly tanned. Hair colour: Naturally bleached blonde Hair Style: Ashley sports a rough and short tomboyish haircut. Eye colour: Ice blue. Tattoos: A pair of angelic wings tattooed on her back. Clothes: Ashley generally favours a jeans/tank top combo with a brown leather aviators jacket emblazoned with a gold lion's face on the right shoulder. She can however, should she see fit, opt for something more girly. Makeup: Normally wears eyeliner and mascara.
Faction: Marauder, Criminal. Role in Team: Cat Burglar/combat engineer.
Ashley Hunter chose to crew the Marauder as an alternative to facing trial for numerous successful, high-value and high-profile robberies she had performed under the alias of Pride, the deadly sin. Each and every crime Pride was credited with was performed with a similar modus operendi; A stealthy infiltration, a high-profile snatch and grab, followed by a swift escape before authorities could secure Pride or the stolen goods, zero fatalities. Whilst Pride made every effort to flaunt her wealth as she performed her crimes, this was in fact a parody of Ashley's own somewhat humble origins and done with the intent to highlight the obnoxious wealth of her victims.
Born in the year 2458 Ashley was eight when The Fall hit New Eden and the planet's population plummeted from the low billions to zero as The Harvesters reawakened and stormed the planet's surface. Ashley and her parents were amongst the few to escape the slaughter. Stranded in space the family and other survivors sought refuge on the nearest occupied planet in the Alpha Centauri only to find to their shock that the planet refused to allow them land. Aid would only be provided if the refugees agreed to join the planet's asteroid mining programme. It was here that Ashley learned many of the engineering skills that enabled her to perform her later crimes.
Living in squalid 3rd world conditions Asteroid Miners would, much like a travelling circus of sorts, set up camp on a portion of an asteroid belt, constructing their own structures before beginning to harvest the asteroids for precious metals until finished then moving on to repeat the process. Needless to say such work was incredibly dangerous and widespread hostility developed towards the authorities who kept them here and the outside parties who ignored their plight. Ashley fell in with one of the more extreme crowds and, at age sixteen, participated in a raid on the precious metals depository, funding the escape of the thieves and their families, excluding her own who had died two years prior.
For a time after Ashley's escape it seemed she would settle into a reasonably comfortable life using the substantial surplus of wealth that she had received from the depository robbery. Whilst she had cut her ties to most of the thieves she had escaped with Dillan Forester, a man of strong religious convictions, took on the role of foster father to her. The two used their wealth to found a prestigious orphanage for children of The Fall. Despite this newfound headstart in life within two years Ashley had received numerous minor charges for anti-social behaviour, reckless conduct whilst thrillseeking, and resisting arrest. Each time when Dillan questioned as to why she did what she did she replied that her pride would not permit her to bow to the authorities that had ignored her plight in the past, and thus Pride was born. Worried that if Ashley's behaviour continued as it was she would be eventually be convicted and relegated to a life going in and out of prison, Dillan reluctantly began to tutor, aid and abet her in how to perform crimes without being caught, on the condition that she perform only the crimes he gave the go ahead.
Having begun a life in career crime Ashley and Dillan laundered money from the numerous heists they performed back to themselves via a network of 'anonymous donors' to the orphanage they created and managed to live lavish lifestyles even for the first world, becoming well-known philanthropists in their area even as Pride's reputation for crime increased. Pride was known for her outfits, stylised around lion imagery and copious use of the colour gold, leaving calling cards, and the professionalism of her work. By the time of her capture in late 2480 Pride had become an underworld celebrity, by which point she had a total bounty that could have amounted to a small fortune. In this regard perhaps, Ashley is fortunate that she was captured by Galactic Committee security rather than any other, less earnest security force.
Ashley has been designated high-risk when it comes to escape from The Marauder crew and has been assured that should she attempt to flee her assets, including the orphanage, will be seized.
Ashley's boots fastened to the surface of Cloud-9 with a thunk audible only through the sleek shell of her sleek, stylised space suit. She took a moment to appraise the space station she had landed upon alongside the endless starscape of space from which she was separated by little more than a bulletproof pane of glass. For a moment all was peaceful, then the pilot's drawling Texan accent sounded starkly across her com-link and Ashley was snapped violently from her reverie.
"Alllrighty then boss... You're on your own from here on out." came his voice to which she replied:
"Understood Falcon." Her own voice soft, carrying with it the tonalities and mild gruffness of the Irish working class. "Be ready to extract back here in 20 or via the observation deck if things go tits-up."
"Roger that." Came the reply, efficient and trustworthy in it's delivery.
Any idiot could simply blow a hole in the surface of a space station and charge in guns blazing. To enter without so much as changing the air pressure as Ashley was trying to do took specialist equipment, extensive experience and patience. Ashley had truly taken advantage of the lack of gravity in space when packing for this job and her modular rucksack, if it could be called that, was disproportionately large compared to her form; in earth gravity it would have weighed an easy 80 kilos. She slipped it off her back and fastened it to the surface of Cloud-9 on using magnetic clamps. Next came a little construction work.
Setting a circular device beside her rucksack Ashley set to work with a welding iron, securing the 3 foot wide and 6 inch thick disc in place on the surface of Cloud-9. Once unfurled the tube of plastic sheeting within would form the temporary air lock Ashley needed, allowing her to infiltrate the space station upon which she stood without compromising the air pressure and, thereby without giving away her presence. Ashley broke into a sweat as the clock kept ticking. Fifteen minutes remaining. She unfurled the tube of sheeting from the device and connected a hose from her rucksack to the base of the plastic airlock she had created. This would later flood the airlock with air and equalise the pressure of it with that within the space station.
Clambering into her makeshift airlock with only the equipment she would need for the next leg of her robbery, Ashley pulled the lid closed behind her and let it pressurise, biting her tongue as her ears popped from the quick change. Thirteen minutes remaining, no time to grumble about the discomfort caused by accelerated repressurisation. Even with the considerable reduction of equipment between landing and climbing into her air-lock, space was tight. Ashley was grateful she had insisted on pushing so much of the last robberies take towards equipment for this job as her miniature circular saw set to work, carving a hole into the surface of Cloud-9 just big enough for her to clamber through into the space station beyond. Eleven minutes remaining.
Cloud-9, originally known as Space Station 9 for it's position orbiting Pluto, the 9th planet (or planetoid) orbiting the Earth's sun, was now the solar system's premier tourist satellite. Home of the solar system's classiest casinos, hotels, art exhibitions and of course, the system's largest diamond, Cloud-9 was the perfect front for it's criminal run conglomerate to run it's operations from. Yakuza, Mafia, Triads; If they did crime and they did it organised, odds are they were based here. Of course, Ashley cared little about that beyond the fact that her victims could afford the loss they were about to take, she was here for the diamond.
"Staying focussed in there Ashley?" Came that all-too-familiar Texan accent down the com-link.
"Of course I am Dilla... What did I say about names over unsecured coms Falcon? Stop being a wanker. I'm doing my job. You focus on yours. Get your professional hat on." Ashley barked back down the line, glancing around to catch her bearings.
As planned Ashley had found herself in a junction within Cloud-9's extensive labyrinth of long forgotten air vents and maintenance shafts. The station's artificial gravity had taken effect now and so, somewhat disorientating, Ashley now stood upon the opposite side of the same sheet of metal she had moments ago been clinging to in the vacuum of outer space. The shaft led forwards, backwards and upwards. Ignoring the ladder Ashley took a grenade launcheresque device and fired it directly upwards, revelling in the quiet whirring of climbing ropes unfurling until the magnetic hook met it's destination with a muted thunk. Ashley hooked herself to the mechanical winch and began her assent at speed. Eight minutes remaining.
With a jolt Ashley stopped and climbed into a side vent, colours becoming more vivid by the moment and her pulse accelerating as adrenalin kicked in. Only moments to go now. She crept down the tight vent in miniscule motions to avoid making even the slightest sound if it could be avoided. Each second dragged, seeming to Ashley to become an eternity until at last she could see through a grille into the room below, her target in sight. She fastened a cable above the vent and took a moment to notify her getaway driver of the situation.
"Falcon... The egg is in the nest... Magpie is ready to go." She hissed into the microphone before drawing her handgun and firing three near silent flechette rounds into the screws keeping the vent in place on one side. No delicacy here, four minutes remaining, alarms would be triggered but by the time a response team had arrived she would be halfway back down the vents again and Falcon would be in place to retrieve her. The rest of the bullets in her gun were tranquilisers in case of emergency. At least that was the plan. Cold dread set it's icy tentacles into Ashley's heart as she rappelled through the now open grille only to see bewildered faces looking up at her masked figure. Fuck... The vault was not supposed to be open to the public today.
Suddenly everything was a frenzy of motion. Screams erupted from a crowd of pampered looking patrons wearing everything from pompadours to pretty polka dot dresses and they fled in every direction one could possibly think of to run, someone got tangled in her rappel line and with a crunch Ashley heard the sickening sound of her winch breaking, the vents were no longer an option. Ashley slapped a plastic explosive to the glass of the diamond's display tank and crouched as the glass fragmented into a million tiny shards, sparing no time in reaching within to grab the hefty diamond within. She stuffed it into her utility belt and screamed down her microphone. "PLAN B FALCON! WE'RE USING PLAN B!"
If Falcon replied Ashley certainly didn't hear it, she was already running out through the vault door and into the arts gallery beyond. To her great fortune the guards hadn't seemed to identify the threat as of yet but that quickly changed as she bolted past them and someone shouted. "THAT'S HER! GET THAT ***T!"
A torrential downpour of fully automatic gunfire sounded as Ashley bolted around a corner, sensing the proximity of the bullets by the force they exerted on the air around her and goading her to run even faster. Plan B was sloppy, the definition of an emergency exit. Whilst planning her raid Ashley had checked the visitor checklist for the VIP Observation deck on this floor. It was deserted, no bookings for the entire day, which was in fact a large part of why they had picked today. Ashley would get to the VIP Observation deck and then Falcon would come crashing in through the window, the bulkhead would seal protecting those inside Cloud-9 and Ashley would be protected from the vacuum of space by her spacesuit as she clambered aboard Falcon and hopefully, to safety. Of course, as Ashley rounded the corner Ashley's heart sank. The observation deck was full and, judging by the guards uniforms, of Galactic Committee members no less. Ashley screeched to a halt, hands held high as a dozen firearms drew on her in the observation deck.
"FREEZE BY COMMAND OF THE GALACTIC COMMITTEE!" Ordered a red-faced guard down the barrel of his gun.
Ashley nodded to the guard and, quietly, with calm moderation, Ashley spoke down her microphone.
"Abort extraction Falcon. Civilians on deck... this is Ashley Hunter, out."
-END-
Personality: Brash and perhaps slightly arrogant, Ashley has a negative attitude to most authority figures imposed by any official group. This being said, once engaged in a task Ashley can be very helpful and she enjoys a good party.
Seburo C-X (Compact-Xploder) pistol: Fires .45 calibre rounds at semi automatic only. Its unusual magazine design allows the pistol to hold 21 rounds (including one in the chamber) despite the large calibre. The Compact-Xploder is something of a status weapon and isn't cheap or easy to come by. Where possible Ashley will try to access specialist ammo like tranquilisers and flechette rounds. Add-ons: Holster, 2 spare magazines.
Stylised "Pride" Atmos-suit. Combat Edition: Custom ordered to meet Ashley's specifications this Atmos-suit is designed to enable Ashley to switch quickly from operating within the vacuum of space to mission-ready with minimal adjustment. As such it is lightweight and features polymer plates of ballistic armour across her torso, thighs shoulders, and helmet. Far from being low-profile however large swathes of the suit are coloured gold and the helmet faceplate is emblazoned with a simplified lions face.
Family/Relationship: -Dillan Forester is a surrogate father to Ashley after her own died in the Asteroid Mining fields. -Ashley has a wary attitude towards alien species, having come from a primarily human occupied area of space. Other:
Rounding the wall to a barrage of gunfire, facing a torrent of bullet-rain that distorted the air around him and blasting air from his lungs, Ryan snapped off a burst of gunfire of his own. His gun bucked fiercely, muzzle flashing to light up the darkened street in glimpses of clarity like lightning in the night as the weapon roared it's war shout. He ducked back behind his cover and breathed, grateful that he had survived one more salvo unharmed even as his ears rang from the cacophony of sound.
Further down the street the rest of his squad remained, their forms broken and sprawled across the floor, sprayed across the walls, glassy eyed on those who had been fortunate enough to retain enough of their forms that such expressions were discernable. Ryan simply hunched behind his scrap of rapidly dissolving cover, breathing ragged as he hoped, no, prayed for survival. It had been too late when his warning shout sounded and the enemy had landed his rpg squad centre, obliterating the fledgling group. The street boomed and echoed with gunfire and now the steady, ominous iambic pentameter of heavy footsteps drawing ever closer to his position. Two magazines left... A couple of grenades... A flare.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Ryan was out of options. He raised the pistol-like device of his flare to the sky and fired, his final prayer for help. The weapon recoiled lightly into his palm and with a hiss it's slug flew into the sky, burning bright and lighting the street in eerie red. Now he would wait and see who, if anyone, would come to his aid.
@Jones Sparrow Thanks! Much appreciated. Any closer to a conclusion on where The Harvesters will rank on threats to the universe? Should I post their lore up here for reference?
