LupusIntus

ETU Phoenix: Breaking Boundires

I was assuming it was having to do with the crew: he was a natural choice simply because his Academy scores were outstanding and his recent years of study means he is more familiar with the top-of-the-line technology of the ETU that a more experienced/older pilot wouldn't necessary understand.

I can change it though, if that doesn't work!

ETU Phoenix: Breaking Boundires

I'll try to think of someone, but most of my friends aren't much into sci-fi... annnnnd posted!

ETU Phoenix: Breaking Boundires

The NAPA dive bar, 'The Brown Jug', was packed that evening, wall-to-wall with young men and women in shining Academy uniforms, and the air was full of cheer and revelry as the class of 3025 celebrated its graduation after six long and difficult years. It was a small and grimy place, beneath the New Orleans Port Authority building where hundreds upon hundreds of intraspace crafts from all over the known universe would dock and unload their goods and passengers, but it was a favorite of the Academy students. That night drinks flowed freely, shots were in hand the instant they touched the bar, and just about everyone was red-faced and merry as they grasped the shoulders of the classmates and handed out hearty 'Congratulations!' like it was going out of style. At the bar was sat a beautiful young woman in a pristine cadet's uniform, her curly crimson locks overflowed over her shoulders and down her back and made her crystal blue eyes shine all the brighter as her red heart-shaped lips curled ever-so-slightly as she turned away yet another drunken man offering to buy her a drink.

He'd watched her for the past few minutes: carefully studying the way her hand used a straw to twirl the ice-cubes in her glass, the way her unclouded eyes searched the face of every man who stumbled into her presence. She was looking, but these run-of-the-mill drunkards weren't enough to interest her and the way she slowly sipped at her drink meant she was too smart to be an easy score. He liked a good chase and so, like another challenger entering the ring, he downed the last bit of beer in his glass and slid up to the bar just a few feet away from her. With a flick of a few fingers he ordered another beer from the over-worked bartenders and then settled into looking the red-head's way with a perfectly practiced expression of perturbed curiosity. After a few moment she noticed his glances and a meticulously manicured eyebrow arched in curiosity but he pretended not to notice her attention, as if his mind was working through a puzzle. This sort of tactic might have turned some women off immediately but he was smart and he knew her own curiosity mixed with her boredom would get the better of her and so it was that after a pause she slid closer with a slightly annoyed expression, one she was working hard to maintain, and her ruby lips pursed. "Is there a problem?"

He blinked rapidly as if being shaken from his thoughts and refocused on her with an expression that said he was shocked to find her speaking to him. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss! I was lost in thought." His dialect was distinctly southern, distinctly Texan if you knew what you were listening for, and after hearing his excuse the red-head simply rolled her eyes and turned away.

"I'm sure your mind is quite a cavernous place and easy to get lost in. I hope you find your way home."

The corner of his thin mouth turned up for just an instant as her eyes left him and he spoke up quickly. "Actually, you know I do have a problem." She looked back, clearly caught off guard by the bold remark. Grabbing his beer and dropping a few credits on the bar, he slid closer so that every word would be heard. "Ya'know I spent six years bein' taught about every known corner of th'universe an' not one textbook... not one holoslide ever mentioned anything as beautiful as you." The cornyness of it took a moment to register but when it did her mouth curled into an amused smirk. "It just really makes me wonder where they're allocatin' all them tuition dollars we paid."

"Has that line ever worked?" She asked with a genuine smile, blue eyes searching him even more intently as if trying to figure out if there was something behind the obvious facade.

He took a sip of his drink and flashed a brilliant white-teethed smile. "I'll let'ya know as soon as the results from the trial run are in."

Never losing her bemused smirk, she extended a delicate hand. "Christine."

"Th'name's Leo." He replied as they shook.

--------------------

The following morning, Leo was awoken rather abruptly by a pounding at his apartment door. He rolled to the edge of the bed, blinking in the sunlight that seemed painfully bright, while his cloudy mind tried to make sense of where he was and how he got there. The pounding proved persistent, however, and after having enough sense to throw on a pair of faded blue jeans in case whoever thought to bother him at 11am didn't appreciate seeing him in the nude, he flung the door open with a groggy, "What the hell is'it?"

"Mr. Leo Erickson." The short, thirty-something year old woman standing in the doorway responded with a hard, emotionless look as her eyes analysed him in an instant. "Your assigment has come in and we've come to collect you. Please dress yourself appropriately and I will escort you to the transport."

"Wh-wait what?" Leo replied as he tried to force his mind to sober in light of this surprising and rather unorthodox situation. "M-my assignment? Command told me I'd have'ta wait two weeks for my assignment! 'Also assumed they'd give me a holocall... or send an email at least."

Her expression never faltered in the slightest as she gave him a stoney-gaze. "Your assignment is... unique and you are to report immediately. I have the order here if you'd like to take a look at it but our superiors don't like to wait." She flashed a PDA Holopad but Leo simply blinked and shook his head.

"Okay, well I guess I'll start packin' or somethin'..." He was about to turn away but she immediately stepped forward in typical military fashion.

"That won't be necessary. All that is currently required is your uniform and any PDA or personal effects. We will see that your possession are safely packed and delivered to your post." Turning stiffly, she signaled to the row of expressionless men, all wearing military fatigue and carrying large crates marked with the 'Alliance Property' stamp, that Leo had not even noticed standing in the hall. They moved through the door and immediately went about gathering his possessions without so much as a word to him.

"H-hey, what the hell y'all doin'!" The Texan began to protest as his annoyance boiled through his hangover. "Hey! Be careful with that! Now c'mon, what the hell-"

"Mr. Erickson." The woman interrupted with a stern tone that showed she was clearly not amused. "We will see to your things, if you'd please go get dressed? I have orders to assist you if that proves to be too difficult for you."

Not missing the hidden meaning behind her words, Leo's mouth drew into an annoyed line but before he could respond a groggy call came from the bedroom door. "Leo...?" The red-head muttered, one hand clinging to the sheet wrapped around her curvy form while the other rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What the... what the hell is going on?"

With an apologetic smirk and a shrug to the military commander who now narrowed her eyes, Leo looked to the red-head and flashed his brilliant, mischievous smile. "Sorry darlin'... duty calls."

Rites of Passage

@Volk: Other than the possible change in mentor you've all been discussing above, your CS looks great. :)

ETU Phoenix: Breaking Boundires

Daaw... thanks! I think this will be a lot of fun. :)

I'm just headed to bed (far later than I usually pass out) so I'm sorry to make you wait for an intro post but I know if I made one in my current exhausted state it would be absolute garbage. XD

ETU Phoenix: Breaking Boundires

Here it is! Sorry it took me so long...

Name: Leo Erickson
Age: 28
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 172
Race: Human
Class: Lead Pilot

Appearance: Tall and broad-shouldered, bearing a handsome olive-skinned face with a square jaw and high cheekbones, Leo looks every bit like the typical Texan Lift-Jockey. His long chocolate brown hair flows well in its typical swept-back style, though it's often covered in a dark leather cowboy hat that's faded and worn from countless days in the American western sun and that clashes heavily with his unpressed and disheveled Alliance Uniform. It's clear at first glance that the wearer doesn't take his position all too seriously. His light hazel eyes are always lit with a youthful spark of life and they seem to hold untold depths that promise excitement, adventure, and a little bit of mischief around every turn.

Skills:
Split-Second Reflexes - Always useful when navigating dangerous asteroid belts.
Crack Shot - It only takes a few dozen years of shooting at desert critters to get a knack for hitting moving targets.
Piloting - Being one of the best pilots the Alliance has ever seen extends from large carriers to the most nimble of fighters.
Basic Military Training - The Pilot Academy made sure he memorized books of field tactics and could identify and handle most infantry-grade weaponry.
Dauntless Ego - Thinking very highly of yourself means it's hard to be shaken off your game, even when faced with dangerous surprises, though it obviously comes with a few social drawbacks.
Gamer - Who'd have thought a Texas-grown country boy would have a knack, and a love, for all kinds of virtual toys?

Personality: Leo is outgoing and fun-loving, the kind of guy who loves to be the center of attention and has the charisma to stay there. He's a bit promiscuous and quite flirtatious around beautiful women and his pride is about as easy to shoot down as the ship he's piloting. Though it's difficult for him to form deep, personal relationships with anyone, when he makes a friend he's unshakably loyal and will do just about anything support them.

History/Biography: Leo was born into a poor family of laborers in the Great Texan Shipwright, one of the great industrial complexes of Earth space cruiser construction known for its million acre solar-farm and massive space lifts. From the days he could hold a soldering iron he was put on the front lines of this incredible feat of manufacturing and spent countless days working on ship exteriors. They called his kind 'Lift Jockeys' for their skilled maneuvering of Anti-Grav Carts through airspace often filled with tens of thousands of small crafts. His parents soon found him to be one of the best at this 'sport' and the boy always won the off-the-book races the laborers partook of in their time off. Despite having nothing more than basic schooling, Leo always dreamed of being on the flight-deck of the ships he was helping to build and so, despite the discouragement of many friends and laborers, spent nearly every second of his free time studying the piloting of space ships. There were countless documents and manuals available to anyone with internet access and over the course of 18 years Leo, now a young man, finally began to understand all the technical aspects of space travel. He aced the North American Pilot Academy entrance exam much to the astonishment of every faculty member proctoring the test and, after sitting through their thorough investigation for 'academic dishonesty', spent six years training in military-based space era technology and doctrine. Leo graduated with the highest of honors the Academy could provide and appeared to have a long and promising career ahead of him... if he could get his rather rebellious attitude under control.

Special Equipment:
High-powered P480 'Hunter' Revolver Custom - A gift from Leo's father; this puppy packs quite a punch, firing a .500 Magnum round, and is retrofitted with a special 9-round rotating clip and heavy barrel for extra accuracy and reduced kick.

Rites of Passage

@pyroman: Haha, was just editing my post to include you and your CS.
Things are lookin' real good pyro. There are two issues that need to be addressed, I think, the first being 'persons of interest' in the village. Simple question is all: Atrus' is still living with his parents, ya? (they're not dead or gone or anything?)

The other issue is a bit more complex, being the skills section of your CS: I think it would be a bit more conducive to list out all the skills your character possesses in both the 'class' and 'village' sections. The limits are 4 and 3 respectively and right now and while I'm seeing 3 'village skills' (herbalism, reading, writing), I'm only seeing 1 class skill (alchemy). Now I thought that you'd mentioned him being a scholarly alchemist rather than a magical alchemist but I may have been mistaken? I have to check with Astarael but I think we're full on 'mage' characters (we only wanted two in the party) and either way we'd require specific 'Cantrips' (basic magic tricks) listed out and filling Class Skill slots (see Astarael or my CS's for reference to that).

I don't mind the first person viewpoint at all but I think for those particular sections we'd like a bit more detail and specificity.

Rites of Passage

Ollumhammersong said
Well who are we all waiting on? I know Pyroman and Azreal. But that should still be two more people.

Lillium, xAsunaWolfx, AoStar, and Volk.

orcpunx said
Hei of this is still open I'd very much like to join in on the party.

Well we've technically had all our spots reserved but if anyone drops out we'll let you know!

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

I'll send a dad CS over to you, Nefarious, as soon as I get the time to finish it. XD
We can decide what we want to do with it then.

Yu Yu Hakusho RP

Great! Sounds awesome, i'm in!