whist

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

I'll probably go in as a second security personnel by the looks of the interest distribution.

@Kangaroo

Sounds good, I'll mark you down for that.

I wished that I would of been captain, oh well. :/

EDIT: Maybe I could compete with catchamber for the role and you get the pick the best sheet (once we finish our sheets). The winner will become the Captain and the loser will become the Chief Officer

@The Spectre

If @catchamber is good with this than sure. Otherwise, I will have to assign the role to whoever put forward interest first.

Senior Engineer reporting in.

Quick question: how much technobabble will be allowed? I'm afraid I know even less about all this hard scifi stuff than anyone else lol

EDIT: Here's my CS, I didn't go with what you had created for Raleigh since I thought I couldn't get Anderson's character through it as well. Sorry about that ^^

Alexander Anderson

Alexander Anderson

"I thought I was a hero. A hero no more I guess."

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Name:

Alexander Kaprinsky Anderson

Age:

26

Homeworld:

Mars

Appearance:

Anderson is nothing all too special in his physical features; he's about 5 foot 10 inches with an average build with good muscles and a ever so slightly hunched back. There are no major scars or marks on his face or anything of note beyond his teal blue eyes and bronzy blond hair. On his right shoulder he displays what he calls a "personal insignia" tattoo, a circle with an X towards the top and two lines drawn down from the X. His left shoulder bears the words "Freedom to Mars, Death to Oppressors" in two lines, a tattoo that Anderson deeply despise and regrets ever getting.

Personality:

Anderson is something of a broken, disenfranchised soldier which in turns means he's a cynical with a rather downer outlook on life. He also tends to be a bit of an ass, most likely due to his egotistic side. Anderson's engineering and jury rigging abilities are extraordinary with the man claiming no one else can surpass it. He takes great pride in his work and will not hesitate to show it off or brag about it if he can. A small habit he's developed is to sometimes just make technobabble shit up on the spot in the face of people who don't know engineering for shits and giggles.

Another contributing factor to his attitude is his stance (and former stance) on the MFR. Despite what he said and thought in the days of the martian independence day, he now despise any patriotic martian with a burning hate and will not hesitate to punch them on sight. Of course, this outlook is given back in kind by many martians who see the former prodigy as a traitor. NATO and Terrans on the other hand don't exactly show him all too much love either given his role in the creation of MRF and his status as a martian.

History:

Alexander Anderson is a second generation martian meaning that he came from full blooded martian parents. His family was very well off given his father's renowned engineering and design abilities, something that his son would also inherent. From an early age Anderson showed great interest in machinery and science, breezing through advanced math and science classes without breaking a sweat so much to the point that he had completed all of his high school's available advanced math and science classes. In his free time, Anderson would pour over old models of ships, blueprints and little bits of machinery that his dad brought home from work (when he wasn't goofing off and playing games and trying to hook up with girls of course).

With several scholarships behind his back, Anderson was well off on his way to the most prestigious university on Mars where he was introduced to an independence movement called the "Mars for Martians Movement" (MMM). This wasn't his first time hearing about this as both his mother and father were also heavily in favor of sovereignty for the red planet; he and his three other siblings bore witness to the elongated rants and outbursts against the "Terran Tyrants" that their parents often had against the news anchors.

Once again taking on his heavy class work load with ease, Anderson only continued to impress his teachers and classmates with his skills as he got more and more involved with MMM. By his second year, the boy was a devout zealot of it who saw their struggle as the "righteous fight" that the higher ups preached. So devout and devoted he was that he was blind to see as they became less and less peaceful and more and more like terrorists like so many other radical liberation groups. By the time he graduated with both a degree in Engineering and Spacecraft Design, Anderson was deep in the "war against oppression" as the MMM was absorb by the Martian Republican Army.

Once in the MRA, he proved his worth and skills as an engineer, often out doing those with more education or experience on pure skill alone. He was responsible for a the creation of many IEDs, weapons and most importantly, rearmed spacecraft. He worked on or oversaw the arming of dozens of spacecraft that he was told would "protect Mars once NATO came". Anderson poured everything he had into the ships with undying loyalty but something in his mind didn't agree with him. Some part of him asked him at what point did he stop being a protester outside NATO buildings to a terrorist who blew them up. With zealous fervor, such "childish" thoughts were put to rest by Anderson as he proudly watched the ships roll off the conversion line and into space.

Then came the turning point.

As he boarded on of the ships, he realized that these ships weren't just staying in orbit about Mars, they were going somewhere. They were going towards Earth. Frantically asking questions, Anderson was given very limited and vague answers and watched in horror as the MRA bombarded the defenseless cities of Earth without any retaliation. This was the last straw that cause his mind to snap which he realizes that this wasn't a war he was in, it was a massacre. After the bombardment was done and NATO had given up, instead of celebrating like everyone else, Anderson locked himself in his quarters and let his emotions run through until he felt he had no more tears to cry and only rage to burn as he realizes his entire life was basically a web of lies. It was in there that Anderson made up his mind to abandon all of his work with the MRA and leave them for good and say "fuck you" for all the lies that his patriotism blinded him from. He was going to defect to NATO.

Once back on the red planet, he took advantage of everyone's partying to sneak as much of his work and other bits and pieces on to a small cargo craft and left orbit to Earth. Even before he made it to Earth he was stopped by Lunar Police Forces from the Moon. On the NATO base on the Moon, Anderson surrendered everything he had and gave the stolen ship with cargo and all to the officials and told him he was a defector of the MRA. Of course they didn't trust him but he persisted anyways.

Anderson probably would have rotted in a jail cell for the rest of his life on treason charges if it wasn't for the work of one pragmatic and opportunistic NATO commander who recognized the boy's talents and the need of engineers of his calibers within NATO, one Commander Volskya. Under his orders, Commander Volskya secretly planted a kill chip into Anderson's neck; not exactly legal but he thought it would have been the most effective way of controlling the defector. In truth, Anderson probably didn't even need a kill chip to keep him loyal to NATO, his rage and anger against the MRA enough to keep him in check from ever collaborating with them ever again.

Since then Anderson has been given some additional education curtsy of NATO (which he is still currently studying without any issue at a remarkable pace) and has been assigned to the NSS Intrepid after some pushing of papers, his talent being one of the sole reasons he was even allowed to be on it in the first place. Now, even though he lacks allies on either side of the post-war conflict, Anderson plans to make his legacy and name once again known, now for a new cause.

@ClocktowerEchos

Technobabble will be incorporated to whatever level a player finds appropriate for their character. I don't expect anyone to spend an inordinate amount of time researching this stuff, so it's all up to the level of detail you want to go into. I once participated in a govsim that used a lot of legal jargon. If anything important was confusing, a PES (plain English summary) was provided as well. This can be done here as well, but I don't think it will get to that point. The technology descriptions are mostly for setting/flavor, and I will make sure anything important story-wise is well explained.

Are there any available positions I could take? I see great interest in this roleplay.

@Kobayashi

We are getting close to full. There is currently one scientist position and one security position that have not been explicitly claimed yet, however, there are people from the original interest check that haven't posted here yet. I don't want to deny anyone participation, but I also need to ensure slots remain for those who originally expressed interest. Perhaps wait a day, then I can give you a more definite answer.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

The OOC and sample CS is up here: roleplayerguild.com/topics/139995-blac..

Let's finalize what roles people want in that thread, then we'll be good to go to start posting sheets. The current lineup is as follows if everyone is placed in a role they mentioned as desired:

Captain: @catchamber
Chief Officer: @The Spectre
Senior Engineer: @ClocktowerEchos
Security Personnel: @Lexicon
Scientists: @Leodiensian @Rekaigan

Please confirm your acceptance or raise any objections in the thread posted above.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

Johnathan Raleigh

The Doctor

John Raleigh

Johnathan "John" P. Raleigh
[e-mail]
Age: 41 Hair: Brown Eyes: Green
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 160 lb

Education
MD - Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
PhD, Functional Anatomy - Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
BS, Biology - University of California, Los Angeles

Experience
Senior Trauma Surgeon, UW Medical Center
Trauma Surgeon, UW Medical Center
Surgical Intern, UW Medical Center
Field Medic, NATO Armed Forces

Vignette
John almost slipped to his knees. The ground underneath his feet shuddered violently from the force of a nearby VTOL personnel carrier firing its main engines. A blue funnel of flame erupted from the massive thrusters down into the ground, crystallizing the soil below. John felt the sound deep in his gut as the ship slowly lifted off and aimed its nose for the blue sky above. He sighed in relief as the pressure on his chest lifted.

"Damn, never get used to that," said the heavily armored trooper next to him. "You OK there Doc? You look a little rattled."

"I'm fine, thanks," he said, straightening up. "We need to get to work, where's our first triage zone?" John reached into a shoulder pouch and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Hell, this one looks bad," he said as he scanned the battlefield surrounding him. Flaming heaps of twisted wreckage scarred the landscape, and bodies in various states of injury littered the space between them.

The soldier pulled a tablet out from a backpack at his feet. "Orders say we start in the northeast and work our way down from there. Prioritize officers and technicians, elminate any enemy forces found. Standard ops."

John lifted the cigarette to his lips and flicked his lighter's sparker. "Let's get a move on then," he said, exhaling a stream of smoke.

A quick hike to the northeast revealed the extent of the damage. Of the few survivors, many would be missing limbs - or worse. John knelt down next to an unconscious officer with a four foot long shard of metal through his leg and blood pooling on the ground around him. He clicked a vial of local anesthetic into his injector a set it against the man's leg. About to depress the plunger, he felt a weak hand on his shoulder. "Who... who are you?"

"I'm a doctor. Relax, this will be over soon." John pressed down and with a quick hiss the drug entered the man's thigh muscle.

"Please... what happened? Where is... everyone else?" The man was now struggling to stand up - the anesthetic acted quickly.

"I need you to stay still. Calm down, or you'll lose blood more quickly." John reached down for a fresh lancet. The sun flashed off the blade as he brought it to the man's leg and began a series of small, precise cuts around the shaft of metal. "All I can tell is you the little I know. Rumor is Command recieved some bad intelligence and underestimated the amount of Dusters in this sector. Didn't know they'd have so much firepower either."

"How many dead?"

"No official numbers yet. I think we may be leaving more behind than we're taking back."

Tears began to well in the man's eyes. John would have liked to have thought it was from the shaft of steel through his leg, but he knew better. He had seen enough broken men on the field to know one when he saw it. He realized then just how young the officer really was.

"H-how, how could this happen? This isn't right. This isn't what I thought it would be." The man reached up to rub at his forehead, leaving a black streak of grime behind.

"What did you expect when you graduated that academy? Parades and medals? Now, hold on to something, this is going to hurt." John grasped the metal shard and began drawing it upwards and out of the officer's leg. The man screamed raggedly, tears now flowing openly onto his dirty cheeks.

"There, done." John tossed the bloody spear down and began packing gauze into the now open wound. He wrapped a clean bandage around the man's leg, then poured water into a plastic cup from his bag. "Drink this. You need to rehydrate. You should be able to make it until they evac you to a proper med center. Stay here, don't try to walk. Don't touch the wound, and try to stay calm."

"Wait, you can't just leave me here. Please... I need to see my family." The man's eyes were wide with fear and he was gasping for breath; he began to shift forward again.

John placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "I need to attend to others. You'll be safe here." John passed the man a small pill. "If the pain returns, take this." Looking up, he saw his escort motion to come over.

The soldier waved with his data pad. "Time's up. HQ says there's another group of Dusters inbound, and we don't want to be here when they arrive."

John frowned. "And what about all these injured?"

The soldier was quiet for a moment behind his helmet. "Evac is on its way. That's not your concern." He motioned towards a hill around 100 meters away where a much smaller VTOL was now landing, still hot from atmospheric re-entry. "There's our ticket out, come on, let's go."

John glanced back towards the man he had treated. "Fuck this," he said under his breath, then turned and walked towards the ship.

15 Years Later

The steady pulse of a heart rate monitor provided a fitting backdrop for the tension in the operating room as surgeon Johnathan Raleigh completed his 64th heart transplant. "All right, let's close her up." The nurses and technicians around him spun into action as he stepped back and released a breath that felt like it had been held for hours. Even after five years as a field medic, then fifteen as a trauma surgeon at UW Medical Center, he still got an adrenaline rush from the pressure of another person's life in his hands.

He stepped into the adjoining prep room and peeled off his bloody gloves, tossing them into a biohazard receptacle built into the wall. Turning on the faucet, the feeling of warm water over his tired hands was exquisite. He couldn't avoid a glance in the mirror above the sink as he scrubbed. At 41 years old, he had more than just a dash of gray in his otherwise dark brown, almost black, hair. In his opinion, he had never been particularly handsome. Why try to match up to the sculpted perfection of those fortunate enough to have been engineered beautiful? He did, however, prize the deep sea green eyes he had inherited from his mother. They were a reminder of her, and a source of motivation to aspire to the same high ideals she set for herself when she was alive.

He finished up changing into his standard jeans and black button-down and stepped out of the prep room into one of the many hallways of the medical center. He looked at his watch. 22:46. His shift had ended sixteen minutes ago, and he was on-call for the upcoming weekend. Maybe he would have a chance to relax a bit after all.

"Congratulations on another successful surgery, Doctor Raleigh. Or should I refer to you by your full title? What's it these days, again? Senior Trauma Surgeon? Well, they got the senior part right at least."

John turned to see a man about his age with a shock of blonde hair and a mischevious smile that he knew all too well. His broke into a smile of his own. "Hello Will. Good to see you looking so clean, I would have thought you'd be covered in puke from the neonatal unit."

Will grimaced. "My god, if I have to spend another day pulling those little bastards out I swear I'm going to resign and go into law like my father always told me to."

John laughed, "I'm sure you'll make it through - we all have to pay our dues every once in a while."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you off as well? Want to hit up that new bar in downtown tonight? I hear one of the lab techs got a second job there and really knows her way around a pipette, if you catch my drift." Will smirked and began walking towards the exit, gesturing for John to follow.

John walked after him. "Really? A pipette? That's pretty awful, even for you. Anyway, even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I'm on call for the weekend, so no joy."

Will frowned. "On call? Again? You work too much man, time to take a freaking break."

John laughed again. "That's just how it is."

They stepped out into the brisk night air, the lights of Seattle shining like jewels. John stopped and turned to Will.

"Well, hope you have fun tonight. Remember, I'm not bailing you out if you end up in the drunk tank."

"C'mon John, that's what friends are for. Well, whatever. Enjoy a weekend spent sitting in your apartment. I know whatever you're working on is apparently more important than a girlfriend, or really any social life whatsoever. But, if you decide you want to get some fresh air, give me a call." Will turned to leave, waving lazily as he headed out into the parking lot towards his low-altitude shuttle.

John shook his head and hailed a taxi. He let his mind wander as they flew through the massive superstructure that was the city. Out among the stars and planets. Out beyond Pluto. What was there? He had gotten to see such a small amount of it during his stint as a field medic, in the dust and despair of Mars, and everything he saw was the worst of what the galaxy had to offer. He knew there must be more, some greater meaning, and he wondered if he could find it out there among all those sparkling jewels.

He punched in the code to his apartment door and immediately flopped down on the couch. Reaching for a roll of paper towel, he tore one off and quickly brought it to his mouth as he coughed deeply. Pulling it away, he saw the usual flecks of blood. "Damn." He tossed it into a waste basket and lit a cigarette, staring up towards the ceiling. It was time for a change.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

NSS Intrepid XDS-5

The NSS Intrepid lands at Edwards AFB.

Type: Experimental Deep-Space Research Frigate

History: Developed by a consortium of megacorps including industry titan Boeing, Lockheed Grumman, and Intel, the NSS Intrepid is the current pinnacle of spacecraft technology. As a member of its mission, you've been granted access to this classified specification.

Hull: Boeing XDS-5 Carbon Nanotube Composite Hull (140 meter axis)

Power Plant: Sandia Corporation deuterium/tritium fusion reactor

Propulsion Systems:

• Sandia Corporation high-efficiency Alcubierre-class FTL drive
• Lockheed Grumman magnetoplasmadynamic thruster suite
• NASA JPL launch/backup fixed chemical thrusters

Weapons:

• 1x fixed General Dynamics CG-4 240mm coilgun
• 4x gimballed General Dynamics GAU-39/S "Liberator" 50mm electronic-fire rotary cannon
• Intel EWAR suite
• Lockheed Grumman point defense system

Support Systems:

• 3 ZFLOP Intel flight computer with autonomous agent interface
• Siemens AG integrated life support and medical bay
• Integrated sensor array

Crew

Command Team
Under Recruitment

Security Team
Mr. Calder "Smoke" Normund, Private Security Operator
Ms. Margaret "Woods" Collingwood, Private Security Operator

Engineering Team
Mr. Alexander Anderson, Senior Engineer

Science Team
Dr. Adeline Carbier, Physicist
Dr. Gideon Ellis, Signals Analyst
Dr. John Raleigh, Physician

Datastore

Access Level 1, Command Team Only

Psych Eval for ELLIS, GIDEON

Psychiatric Evaluation for ELLIS, GIDEON
Prepared by J. Raleigh, MD

Patient presents as calm and aware of surroundings. No obvious physical disease. Signs of slight sleep deprivation, likely travel related.
Questions answered: 5/5. Full cooperation.
Patient exhibits strong moral/ethical grounding. Reports pacifistic ideology.
Patient reports one incident of suicidal ideation. No evidence of a chronic condition. Patient will be monitored.

Form PSY 801/C (Waiver of Pre-existing Psychiatric Condition) is signed and attached.

Recommendations:
Standard monitoring.

Fit for duty.

Psych Eval for ANDERSON, ALEXANDER

Psychiatric Evaluation for ANDERSON, ALEXANDER
Prepared by J. Raleigh, MD

Patient presents as calm and aware of surroundings. Slight irritability and signs of sleep deprivation, likely travel related.
Questions answered: 5/5. Full cooperation.
Patient exhibits an overriding theme of anti-Martian sentiment. Indicates strong regret for his actions and a feeling of personal responsibility for civilian casualties.
Verbalized agression/hostility and a willingness to become violent towards Martian extremists.
Patient was offered prescription low-dosage fluoextine.

Recommendations:
Patient may become a liability in situations requiring contact with Martians.
Some evidence of emotional instability, possible PTSD. No diagnosis at this time.
Standard monitoring.

Fit for duty.

Psych Eval for RALEIGH, JOHNATHAN

Psychiatric Evaluation for RALEIGH, JOHNATHAN
Prepared by E. Paulson, MD

Dr. Raleigh presents as calm and lucid. Smell of cigarette smoke is present and tobacco usage is marked in patient's chart.
All questions answered with full cooperation.
Raleigh shows signs of resentment towards NATO leadership for casualties during the recent Earth-Mars conflict.
Patient reports he enjoys high-pressure situations, evidenced by his choice of employment in surgery.
Patient displays signs of low self-esteem and impostor syndrome; possible motivation for joining this mission.

Recommendations:
Smoking cessation program.
Standard monitoring.

Fit for duty.

Facilities

Shuttle

Boeing "Skippy" SC-1/P3 Planetary Lander

An old design with a rather unfortunate nickname, the SC-1/P3 is a workhorse of both NATO and MFR fleets. Compact and affordable, it does its job: get a small ship's crew from orbit onto a habitable planet.

Laboratory/Med Bay

The Intrepid features state-of-the-art scientific facilities.

One of the Intrepid's decks is devoted to integrated medical/scientific facilities. The ship offers medical technology on par with most planetary hospitals. The laboratory includes facilities for soil analysis, spectrometry, dissection, etc. It also integrates with the ship's electronic warfare systems to provide signal interception and analysis capabilities.

Crew Quarters

The Intrepid's individual crew quarters provide much needed privacy for long missions.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

COMPENDIUM

The degree of one's emotions varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts.
- Bertrand Russell

Technology

FTL Travel

The FTL breakthrough occured at SNL/NM TA-IV (Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, Technical Area IV) when researchers created the Casimir generator. This revelation provided the source of negative energy required for a functional Alcubierre drive. The drive manipulates spacetime around a vessel, contracting the space in front and explanding it behind. This allows for FTL travel without relativistic effects. However, extremely destructive tidal forces pose a threat to the surrounding environment. A spacecraft must be well clear of any adjacent mass before activation of the drive is permitted by the ship's software.

Sub-light Travel

The primary method of spacecraft propulsion at speeds less than c is the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster, also called the MPD thruster. This method of propulsion uses electricity from a ship's onboard fusion reactor to ionize lithium. The plasma is then expelled from a nozzle, generating thrust. Speeds of a significant fraction of c are possible, however, NATO law requires the installation of a governor set to .25c (approx. 1.8 AU per hour) to avoid relativistic effects such as time dilation. Harmful inertia is canceled by a negative mass field generated by the ship's Alcubierre drive. If a ship is not FTL-enabled and therefore lacks an Alcubierre drive, significant periods of time will be required for safe acceleration.

Artificial Intelligence

The Turing test is long defeated, however, AI research is at a standstill due to NATO restrictions. General AI is explicitly forbidden, especially those capable of machine learning. Instead, task-specific software (called autonomous agents) are common, with humanlike interfaces that can respond to complex commands and act autonomously within a rigid scope. This is especially important for spacecraft designers who require an intuitive interface to the vastly complex software that runs modern ships. Humans are simply incapable of performing the mathematics required for successful navigation of the abyss.

Weaponry (Personal)

Turns out, there's still nothing much more effective than putting a hot slug through whatever you want dead. Examples:

Low Tech: The aging M4 carbine remains the assault rifle of choice among those who cannot afford more sophisticated weapons. Various models of handgun abound, from decomissioned LEO Glocks to revolvers straight out of a cowboy 'flick. The ancient AK-74 can still be seen among the most destitute factions.

Medium Tech: Reasonably well-equipped law enforcement agencies and paramilitary organizations favor Remington's ACR, or Adaptive Combat Rifle. Able to be reconfigured in the field for a multitude of roles ranging from MOUT/CQB to multi-kilometer sharpshooting, the ACR can probably get the job done. Handguns at this level are usually the latest models from Glock, Beretta, H&K, Colt, and many other manufacturers.

High Tech: Now we get to NATO and megacorps. The rifle of choice at this level is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Raijin. An electronic-firing rifle capable of discharging 5000 rounds per minute with little to no recoil and pinpoint accuracy, the mere sight of this weapon is a deterrent. Effective in almost any environment, the Raijin is the assault rifle of the space age.

Experimental: Directed energy weapons are dismissed by many critics as impractical and expensive, but there's just something satisfying about turning your enemy into a charred pile of ash. The leader in this market is Applied Energetics. They sell, to a select group of customers, a prototype LIPC (laser-induced plasma channel) weapon. A laser ionizes the surrounding atmosphere, creating a plasma channel from the weapon to the target down which an extremely high voltage current is sent. The effect is instantly lethal against targets without appropriate shielding.

Weaponry (Spacecraft)

The main mounted weapon of choice is the coilgun. Often gimballed and controlled by targeting computers, magnetic coils accelerate a projectile to high velocity. At large scales, such as the spinal weapon of the NSS Eidolon, these are called mass drivers and can deliver hydrogen-bomb levels of energy to a target every minute. Many spacecraft, especially those small enough to be disrupted by the recoil of a coilgun, use electronic-firing rotary cannons, such as the General Dynamics GAU-39/S "Liberator" 50mm.

Biotechnology

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) reproductive cloning technology has progressed to the point where creating human clones is possible within a cutting-edge laboratory. Several problems remain. No safe way of accelerating the aging process has been found, and clones still develop their own distinct personalities separate from their source. There is no way to "transfer" a mind, much to the dismay of politicians and CEOs seeking immortality. Furthermore, the human cloning ethics debate still rages on, which lead NATO to place an indefinite moratorium on the issue. However, it is common and socially acceptable (if very expensive) to grow and store replacement organs - just in case.

Developing on 21st century CRISPR technology, designer babies are common among those who can afford genetic engineering services and believe they know what's best for their baby's genome. Changes are limited to basic physical traits.

Cybernetics

It is possible and common to replace limbs. For internal organs, biotech solutions are preferred, however, mechanical replacements are a (relatively) cheaper alternative. Augmentations above normal human ability are possible but illegal under NATO law. The idea of people who can punch through steel plating, perfectly conceal deadly weapons, and react with superhuman speed and agility tends to worry some folks. Rumor has it that hasn't stopped black markets from cropping up here and there, as long as you're comfortable with your surgeon having "graduated from a real medical school, I swear!"

Telepathy/mental uploading or transfer is still in its infancy due to real problems developing a brain-computer interface with enough bandwidth to accommodate high intensity applications.

Information Technology

Augmented reality is common and usually takes the form of glasses or contacts using digital light field technology. Most of the functions one performs in today's (2016) society with a smartphone are now performed within AR. VR is used in some specialized applications, gaming, and the military, but the average person needs to maintain awareness of the environment around them. Studies also show negative dissociative psychological effects correlated with extended VR usage.

Data storage and I/O has been greatly increased with the introduction of holographic data storage. In combination with the advent of planetary scale mesh networking, huge volumes of data can be moved and processed rapidly in a decentralized manner. However, laws passed during early 21st century privacy debates greatly limit the ability of governments and corporations to access this public data. Therefore, these entities have constructed much more limited private networks that must be used to access their services. This has limited the development of information technology to those with the know-how to work outside of established infrastructure.

Quantum computers exist and dominate some specialized applications. However, for reasons such as expense and compatibility with legacy systems, digital computers remain the most widespread.

Nanotechnology

Nanoscale engineering is an extremely promising and lucrative field. Huge budgets fund the nanotech departments at companies like General Dynamics. Most of the public is unaware these departments even exist, let alone what they are working on.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

BLACK VELVET SKY

If we can see the horizon, we want to know what's beyond.
- Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin

Introduction

In geosynchronous orbit above Seattle, Washington looms Boeing's massive Capital Ship Assembly Array (CSAA) where the NSS Eidolon, the first spacecraft with an axis exceeding one kilometer in length, nears completion. The massive ship marks a milestone for humanity's conquest of the stars, inspiring both triumph and fear. 54.6 million kilometers away, tense meetings are held on the partially terraformed Mars. Ever since a successful war for independence, the planet's inhabitants, colonists united as the Martian Free Republic, have nervously anticipated and prepared for retaliation by the de facto government of Earth, NATO. Even though the two organizations have formed a tenuous peace, military escalation on both sides continues.

And now, a new discovery threatens to plunge the Sol system into turmoil once again. NATO SIGINT organizations have intercepted covert interplanetary communications between the MFR and the independent Russian Federation. Partial decryption of these messages reveals heavy interest in a region of space previously thought to be of little importance. It is possible that whatever lies in this system offers a strategic advantage - one compelling enough to spur discussion of the possibility of an alliance. Investigation of these coordinates is now a top priority. That's where you come in.

As a top performer in your field, you are one of the best at what you do. Perhaps you work for a megacorporation, a nation state, or maybe you're a lone wolf freelancer. Regardless, you're needed for what could be one of the most delicate deep space exploration missions ever undertaken. NATO recruiters have contacted you directly to inquire about your interest in a classified operation involving revolutionary new technology just now becoming reality: the FTL drive. You are one of the few offered the chance to travel outside this solar system and explore the stars and planets in the galaxy beyond. Do you accept? Just sign on the dotted line, and we'll give you all the details...

Overview

Black Velvet Sky takes place within a universe both familiar and alien. I don't want to pin down our narrative by providing specific dates, but the initial setting is a relatively near-future Earth. Several important events have shaped the political and technological landscape. Firstly, the western world has united under the banner of NATO, turning a once military organization into a quasi-global government. As a result of this globalization, increases in computing power, and valuable asteroid mining, technological progress has continued to accelerate. Private space travel is now commonplace. Colonization began on the Moon, where a thriving community resides. The most ambitious, and tragic, of recent ventures has been the Mars project. 1/16th of the planet's surface has been terraformed into a verdant colony. Making a new home on Mars has been the dream of many until recent decades - until the Revolution. Tired of perceived slights from the NATO administration, a faction on the planet called the Martian Free Republic took advantage of the fact that spacefaring fleets, at the time, remained largely unarmed. By arming spacecraft and employing guerrilla tactics as well as terroristic planetary bombardment of Earth, public opinion forced NATO to capitulate and grant independence to the MFR. Unfortunately, the innocence of the space age was over. NATO handed over control of its fleets from NASA and other scientific organizations to the military and signed thousands of deals with prominent defense contractors. This funding allowed Sandia National Laboratories to build a functioning Casimir negative energy generator: the main component required for the, until now, purely hypothetical Alcubierre drive. FTL travel had almost instantly switched from a faint possibility to real technology. Now this new innovation will be put to the test.

Rules

These are here so you can make sure this game will be a good fit for you before investing your valuable time.

Interaction:

• We will treat each other like we are all in the same room sitting at a table trying to have fun. Anonyminity is not an excuse for assholery.
• We are all partners in creating a collaborative fiction with equally valid contributions. Everyone (including the GM) will make their best effort to respect the choices a character makes. In return, everyone (including the GM) will make their best effort to have their characters behave in a way consistent with their personality and environment. Please no god-modding or metagaming, unless your character is actually a god. Then go for it.
• Please try to keep as much interaction as possible in public. If scheming must be done in private, by all means, start a PM. But it works better if we can call stay up to speed on what's going on.

Posting:

• A post order will be enforced.
• On your turn, you will have one week (seven 24-hour days) to make a post.
• If there is something your character must absolutely respond to out of order, immediately make a post indicating you're going to interject, then edit it ASAP with actual content. Please have this content done within 12 hours to avoid slowing things down.

Content:

• The following subjects should be avoided: anything prohibited by forum rules, obviously. Fair warning: I like to offer my players difficult ethical choices in the course of the game. At risk of being trite, if watching the evening news bothers you, this may not be the game for you. However, explicit violence, language, etc. should be the exception, not the rule. The majority of this game should be right around PG-13. If something bothers you, send me a PM - we can work it out one way or another.
• Reading text in long, semi-comprehensible, unpunctuated blocks makes me do irrational things like quitting roleplays and committing myself to a life of isolation and self-denial as a monk in a Benedictine abbey. Please have mercy, as I will read everything you post. Use punctuation, separate your text into paragraphs, and use spellcheck if you need it.
• I encourage romance. Fade anything unredeemably saccharine to black.

I think that pretty much covers it. Please ask if you need clarification about anything.

Characters

I will be posting my character as the first post in the character tab. This is a guideline for what I expect: an overview of your character's basic physical attributes, a history of their education and work/life experience, and a vignette establishing them in the world. Feel free to diverge/expand if it will enrich your character. Please post your work in this tab (OOC) for review. I'd like to keep the Characters tab for final sheets only please. After your character is posted and accepted they will be contacted privately for a NATO psych evaluation and transportation will be arranged to a classified location for initial briefing with the other members of the crew.

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DISCLAIMER: I'm not a physicist/astronomer/very smart person. I just write code. I'm aiming for hard SF here but there's bound to be some stuff that just doesn't make sense. Please don't hate me too much.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

@whist If you don't mind me asking, when do you think the ETA of the OOC will be? Seems like we got enough people atm or do you want some more?

@ClocktowerEchos

I will work on it tonight and have it up by tomorrow. I will also post a sample character sheet along with the OOC. If everyone who expressed interest participates, we will have nine people, plus myself. That's a bit greater than planned for but definitely still workable.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

Lovely. Can't wait to see where this goes. Mind if I take a stab at Captain?

I'm also curious to know if these techs are common:

Biotech: Cloning, designer babies, retroviruses, uplifts, etc.
Cybertech: Enhancements, replacements, cybertelepathy, mental uploading, etc.
Infotech: Augmented and virtual realities, quartz data storage, quantum computers, etc.
Microtech: Micromachines, nanomachines, matter (dis)assemblers, etc.

@catchamber

Biotech: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) reproductive cloning technology has progressed to the point where creating human clones is possible within a cutting-edge laboratory. Several problems remain. No safe way of accelerating the aging process has been found, and clones still develop their own distinct personalities separate from their source. There is no way to "transfer" a mind, much to the dismay of politicians and CEOs seeking immortality. Furthermore, the human cloning ethics debate still rages on, which lead NATO to place an indefinite moratorium on the issue. However, it is common and socially acceptable (if very expensive) to grow and store replacement organs - just in case.

Developing on 21st century CRISPR technology, designer babies are common among those who can afford genetic engineering services and believe they know what's best for their baby's genome. Changes are limited to basic physical traits.

Cybertech: It is possible and common to replace limbs. For internal organs, biotech solutions are preferred, however, mechanical replacements are a (relatively) cheaper alternative. Augmentations above normal human ability are possible but illegal under NATO law. The idea of people who can punch through steel plating, perfectly conceal deadly weapons, and react with superhuman speed and agility tends to worry some folks. Rumor has it that hasn't stopped black markets from cropping up here and there, as long as you're comfortable with your surgeon having "graduated from a real medical school, I swear!"

Telepathy/mental uploading or transfer is still in its infancy due to real problems developing a brain-computer interface with enough bandwidth to accommodate high intensity applications.

Infotech: Augmented reality is common and usually takes the form of glasses or contacts using digital light field technology. Most of the functions one performs in today's (2016) society with a smartphone are now performed within AR. VR is used in some specialized applications, gaming, and the military, but the average person needs to maintain awareness of the environment around them. Studies also show negative dissociative psychological effects correlated with extended VR usage.

Data storage and I/O has been greatly increased with the introduction of holographic data storage. In combination with the advent of planetary scale mesh networking, huge volumes of data can be moved and processed rapidly in a decentralized manner. However, laws passed during early 21st century privacy debates greatly limit the ability of governments and corporations to access this public data. Therefore, these entities have constructed much more limited private networks that must be used to access their services. This has limited the development of information technology to those with the know-how to work outside of established infrastructure.

Quantum computers exist and dominate some specialized applications. However, for reasons such as expense and compatibility with legacy systems, digital computers remain the most widespread.

Microtech: Nanoscale engineering is an extremely promising and lucrative field. Huge budgets fund the nanotech departments at companies like General Dynamics. Most of the public is unaware these departments even exist, let alone what they are working on.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

@whistVery intrigued. Think about a main pilot (think Sulu from Star Trek) or something like that. I'd also be up for captain if no one else ends up taking it. Senior Engineer might also be an option so long as I get a cool accent.

What does Chief Officer do though?

@ClocktowerEchos

The reason I did not list a dedicated pilot role is because (as I imagine things), under normal conditions, most physical navigation of the ship is performed by a flight computer. In abnormal situations the captain or engineer could take over with an actual stick and throttle, Apollo 13 style. Also, cool accents are basically a prerequisite of being an engineer, right? Just to add though: your character can be from anywhere on Earth or a Martian traito-*cough* colonist, as long as they do not have easily discoverable ties to organizations/individuals that NATO considers overtly hostile.

The CO (or XO) fills several important roles. First and foremost if the captain is say, kidnapped by angry little green men, the CO takes over command of the spacecraft. The CO is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the ship. They make sure the captain's abstract strategies and orders become a practical reality. Or, alternatively, inform the captain as to why their strategies are stupid, impossible, or both.

Black Velvet Sky [Hard SF | Politics/Exploration | Character-Driven]

I have an idea for a First Contact specialist - would that come under scientist?

@Leodiensian

Sure, perhaps an astrobiologist?

I'm working on a CS template as well as an overview of mechanics (rules if you must). Those should be up soon. Thank you to all who've taken the time to read so far, as well as those who've expressed interest.