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Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!



I'm planning to run Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius. This is a game I've run in person a couple times, and done some (very brief) PbP games of it in the past, as well. I won't be doing any of the pre-published adventures, but instead just writing episodes for you all to play through and (hopefully!) enjoy. The game is designed to play out like watching the show, and I plan to try and capture that spirit as well as we can in the PbP format. We'll see how that goes!! I'm looking for ~5 players to join the crew of the USS [TO BE DETERMINED] and take part in some gallant space adventures.

Here are some things that I'd like you to vote on with your application, as it'll inform what type of story we're telling here:


What era do we want to play in?

A. Enterprise Era - I think of this as tall ships sailing far from their port of call. You don't know what's in front of you, as your engines outmatch your sensors, and nobody is giving you much information about the horrifying anomalies and vicious enemies lying in wait for you to find them.

B. The Original Series Era - A Western in Space. The crew are bold adventurers who have a bit more information about what's out there, but the galaxy is still less-than-hospitable and danger waits around every corner. Personalities are big, and so is the level of camp.

C. The Next Generation Era - Politics, diplomacy, and highly advanced science are the tools of your trade. The galaxy feels a little smaller these days - your ship is fast, you know almost all the neighbors, and you have a technological miracle for a ship. But galactic-scale war could be looming on the horizon...

What kind of ship do you want?

A. An old beater, ready to be turned into an extra model the next time the producers need to make a Borg attack look vicious.

B. A standard ship, not the top of the line but perfectly serviceable.

C. An experimental, and potentially volatile, ship that was rushed through its safety inspections.



Update: TOS era and Experimental ship is what we're going with! The story will take place on the USS Amphitrite, a prototype of the Constellation Class.



If you want to do any kind of homebrew race, let me know and we'll try to figure something sensible out. Please include a simple backstory with your character, and I will be asking some additional questions midway through the process to flesh out your character, and the rest of the crew, and possibly build some pre-existing relationships. I am leaning towards having the Captain be an NPC but I am open to negotiation on this point. I'd like the majority of characters to be heads of their various departments, but I'm not necessarily against a Lower Decks type of campaign if that's what everyone really wants.

There is a character generator online here:

https://sta.modiphiusapps.hostinguk.org/

And here's a Discord for any questions that may come up, or if you need help with the character creation or other needs:

https://discord.gg/SV3sBkpsWv

Recruitment will be finished June 4th, and I'll start the game that night or over the weekend of the 5th/6th.

Lager fucked around with this message at 19:50 on May 16, 2021

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Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007

For the Greater Glory of Cardassia, am I right guys?

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Interest post, thinking a Tellarite engineer of some description. Gonna argue with the laws of physics themselves!

Also, leaning B/C, TOS era, bleeding-edge ship. Seems to lend itself best to episodic play. TNG is my favorite series, but a politics-focused game needs a long campaign to feel meaty and real, IMO. And as for the ship, it's just not Star Trek if the warp core isn't undergoing flux destabilization on all resonant frequencies!

Sax Solo
Feb 18, 2011



I'm interested! I've never played this system before, nor am I a huge knower-of-ST-lore either.

I would like to play an Andorian, possibly medical -- but I think I would be up to playing any other role, even captain if it comes to that. So in any case a bit fussy and straight-laced.

I vote for TOS era. I want to imagine those 60s-70s interiors! I think Any kind of ship is fine.

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Sax Solo posted:

I'm interested! I've never played this system before, nor am I a huge knower-of-ST-lore either.

I would like to play an Andorian, possibly medical -- but I think I would be up to playing any other role, even captain if it comes to that. So in any case a bit fussy and straight-laced.

I vote for TOS era. I want to imagine those 60s-70s interiors! I think Any kind of ship is fine.

As a total Shranboy, you're my favorite at the moment. Andorians are by far the best. Let me know if you need any help with your app/character sheet, feel free to jump in Discord as well!

Rhjamiz posted:

For the Greater Glory of Cardassia, am I right guys?

https://twitter.com/realGulDukat/status/1390165823386537988?s=20

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
I'm potentially interested as well. Maybe a Caitan security officer.

TNG era, and bleeding edge ship.

Spiteski
Aug 27, 2013



Sign me up Scotty!

I'm incredibly interested in this! I'd be keen on TOS or TNG era and have no preference in ship type.
I'd like to play either Trill (TNG era), or a simple Human (TOS) with a focus on Security, Science, or Engineering roles.

Sax Solo
Feb 18, 2011



Lager posted:

As a total Shranboy, you're my favorite at the moment.

This will fade as it becomes clear that I'm an idiot. However I did fall in love with Shran while watching Enterprise, or maybe it was a reaction to hating Archer so much.

Fuzz
Jun 2, 2003

Avatar brought to you by the TG Sanity fund
I'm in, any era other than JJ Abrams dogshit, let's gooooooo.

Re: ship, also down for whatever. I'm flexible. Gonna imitate life and be a space doctor, assuming we need one.

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007

I'm definitely voting for the TNG era and bleeding edge.

...of the Cardassian Union.

Mycroft Holmes
Mar 26, 2010

by Azathoth
B, A

Wait we can't play Ferengi?

Drone
Aug 22, 2003

Incredible machine
:smug:


Interest post! Don't have a clear concept in mind just yet, will chew on it before applying.

I'll be the first to go against the grain and vote ENT era (though TOS would be my back-up vote). As far as ship goes, I'd say B.

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Fuzz posted:

I'm in, any era other than JJ Abrams dogshit, let's gooooooo.

Re: ship, also down for whatever. I'm flexible. Gonna imitate life and be a space doctor, assuming we need one.

Hey, Fuzz! Hope everything is going well for you.

Mycroft Holmes posted:

B, A

Wait we can't play Ferengi?

Certainly not in the TOS era!

Drone posted:

Interest post! Don't have a clear concept in mind just yet, will chew on it before applying.

I'll be the first to go against the grain and vote ENT era (though TOS would be my back-up vote). As far as ship goes, I'd say B.

I'm glad at least someone is interested in the Enterprise era, even if it is a pretty weak show overall. And good to see you interested - I may have blatantly stolen the imgur link for the book cover from your old thread, and the idea of picking the different options for era/ship types from your previous Star Trek PbP games as well, so...thanks!


As far as those options go, currently between here and the Discord I have the following tally:

A - 1; B - 6-7 C - 4; So TOS is in the lead, but plenty of time for things to turn around on that.

A - 2; B - 2; C - 5; Looks like experimental and potentially explodey is in the lead here, but again, early days.

I'm very happy about the interest being generated in here and excited to see character sheets start coming in!

Epicurius
Apr 10, 2010
College Slice
Another interest post. Science or medical officer here, maybe Vulcan, maybe Trill?

And another vote for TOS/Experimental ship.

LifeGetsWorser
Oct 23, 2010

Me "IRL" :smug:
Fun Shoe


Lieutenant Commander Ayora Shen, Intelligence Officer

So as Betazed joined the Federation in 2273 and I checked with Lager in discord and he said it was okay if I went with a Betazoid even if we do end up in TOS-town, here's the basic rundown on backstory, to be filled in later depending on where things actually end up:

Ayora grew up on Betazed, the eldest daughter of a pair of sculptors who really wanted her to follow in their footsteps. The only problem was, that for a Betazoid, Ayora was sort of antisocial and also terribly untalented in the arts. She was rebellious - a bit of a jock, and happier away from everyone else's thoughts and emotions, especially since everyone else's thoughts and emotions about her ranged from "pity" to "contempt". However, though Betazed was a neutral world, the Federation had been courting the planet for potential membership for some time, and Ayora made it her business to get noticed by Starfleet.

Enter Commander Rosa Hale, who was stationed at the Federation Embassy as a diplomat and facilitator. After a series of conversations, tests, and more than one somewhat improbable science mysteries that needed to be solved, Commander Hale sponsored Shen for Starfleet Academy. Getting away from the idyllic passive malice of Betazed to the chaotic overlap of thoughts that was the Academy didn't do much for Ayora's mood though, so she developed a bit of a reputation as stand-offish and severe, given her constant testing of her focus on her own thoughts to avoid being overwhelmed. She was happier learning the various defensive techniques that Betazed didn't give her much practice with and excelled on the Security track, and after graduation, was assigned to a vessel - the U.S.S. Corsica, patrolling the Romulan border. While the post itself wasn't particularly thrilling, her Captain, a decorated human by the name of Declan Forrester, was.

Then Ensign Shen noticed immediately that the man was dangerously unhinged, so long spent playing at spy versus spy with the Romulans that he presumed they jumped at every shadow. She didn't begrudge the paranoia - far from it - as her time in the Academy taught her that military-minded people tended to at least subconsciously look for ways to compete with others, but Forrester had gone too far.

She tried to bring this up to the XO, and her security chief, to no avail - as they were more inclined to agree with the record of the man they had served with then what seemed to be the paranoid rantings of a fresh ensign. So, when Forrester ordered the ship across the border, claiming that he had received orders to attack when no such orders were given, Shen did the only thing she could.

She shot her Captain.

She was, of course, thrown in the brig, but the XO finally listened to her when she told her to check the logs for the supposed communique from Starfleet since the XO was now in command. It was confirmed the order had never been given and that Shen had prevented a war of aggression, but by breaking the chain of command she was still relieved of her post and placed before a Tribunal.

Certain she would be dishonorably discharged at best, Ayora was surprised when the charges against her were instead dismissed - and she was approached by Starfleet Intelligence. They saw the potential in her as an agent who was willing to take action against immoral orders even if it meant risking her own commission, and she was assigned to a number of classified missions and insertions into various rival governments. She assumed that would be the direction her career would go, so when she received new orders - back onto another Starship, she requested clarification as to her purpose there.

She has yet to receive anything beyond "Liaison Officer for Starfleet Intelligence, under the command of the Captain of the ship", which has only served to make her more paranoid.

LifeGetsWorser fucked around with this message at 02:15 on May 17, 2021

Tricky
Jun 12, 2007

after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage



Commander Aina C'nello, Ship's Counselor
Values: Words first, phasers never / This ship is my home, this crew is my pack / Everyone's voice deserves to be heard / Nobody else is dying on my watch

It's fair to say that even in the libertine future of the 23rd Century, there are species that have gotten a reputation for being particularly so. The Caitians, everyone's favorite cat people, and the Risians, everyone's favorite 23rd Century peacenik hippies, tend to get taken a little less than seriously. And, really, that's fair. Most are entirely happy to live lives free of worry. Others, like Aina, find themselves called towards the inky frontiers of known space. Born and raised in a bustling hub colony, Aina C'nello learned the values of peaceful coexistence, talking through one's problems, and generally happily coexisting with one's neighbors.

These values spurred early training in the colony's diplomatic corps, then later training in the Federation Academy's command track. She didn't have the willingness to use force that a captaincy would require, perhaps, but her scores in many other fields were exemplary. An early interest in Xenoanthropology and First Contact protocols saw her graduating with honors, and subsequently assigned to a five-year mission aboard the USS Lexington. Overall, the majority of her first term of service went swimmingly.

At one point, the Lexington came into contact with a hither-to unknown species in a trinary star system. Their stars were not the only thing that came in threes, however, and the three-armed, three-legged, and, indeed, three-headed natives of the planet proved to be truly unusual. A disastrous away mission left the command crew incapacitated and captured, and the only way to defuse tensions was to figure out how to actually communicate with the (loosely dubbed) Trinarians. The issue was that they communicated in ways inimical to established linguistic patterns. Communicators proved useless.

It wasn't until Aina proposed that their specific motions and the timing thereof were likely how they communicated meaning, as well as demonstrating through a proof of concept. The theory: correct. The execution mostly resulted in confusion on both sides, at least until Aina had the "duh!" moment of realizing they wouldn't understand without three limbs worth of meaning being conveyed. Luckily, she had a tail and was well equipped to use it. Matters were amicably resolved from there, and the command staff safely returned to the ship.

Her time aboard the Lexington came to an end when it was diverted to aid a frontier colony afflicted with an unknown plague. Matters proceeded as well as could be expected, but the sheer scale of the tragedy unfolding was too much. Aina spent her time serving as a sounding board and counselor to the people suiting up and heading planet-side for relief efforts, but tragedy struck when an equipment failure saw one of the ship's crew infected. It was a junior officer that Aina had formed a close friendship with during their years on assignment, and seeing her waste away with no way to help was simply too much. When the Lexington was relieved by another ship and sent to the closest station for R&R, Aina requested a leave of absence.

Now, some years later, she's refreshed, recharged, and ready to explore the cosmos once more.

Tricky fucked around with this message at 19:57 on May 15, 2021

Drone
Aug 22, 2003

Incredible machine
:smug:


Lager posted:

I'm glad at least someone is interested in the Enterprise era, even if it is a pretty weak show overall.

It just has so much potential that the show never realized.

Anyway, it seems like the thread is going overwhelmingly in a TOS direction (which owns), so I'll submit a TOS character once I come up with a good concept.

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Drone posted:

It just has so much potential that the show never realized.

Oh yeah, I agree. I ran a game that involved all three of these eras and various time hijinks, and the ENT was probably my favorite. Like how Balance of Terror turned starship combat into submarine warfare, I looked at the Enterprise Era as Horatio Hornblower in space, with fewer problematic elements. Age of Exploration type of thing where supplies where a legitimate concern, scans didn't reveal a whole lot about what was in front of you or even what you'd find when shuttling down to a planet, etc.

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE


Commander S'Thors, Executive Officer

Values:"The galaxy gave us claws for a reason, they must have a good use." / "Starfleet should be the very best of us." / "Always be prepared for the unexpected." / "Life can be short, live it with élan."

S’thors sighed on the shuttle, putting down his PADD for a moment. He hadn’t even been aboard yet, but already he was being buried in the endless paperwork that came with his brand new posting. He leans back, smiling at the thought, a hand unconsciously tracing the brand new second full braid on his sleeve. For his first assignment as a Commander to be the XO of a new experimental ship not even out of spacedock yet, someone at Starfleet Command either really liked him or really hated him. He chuckles to himself at the thought. Who’d have thought the kid from Narval who grew up pretending he was a Starfleet Captain having adventures across the frontier would really make it. He really had to find some time to write a letter to his parents, being committed pascificts they’d never really been happy with his own inclinations. Still, he knew they cared, otherwise they’d never have helped him get into the Academy.

Ah, the Academy, now there were some good memories: the classes, the friends, the challenges. He still never managed to tell his parents that he’d joined the close-combat team, his mother would probably have had a stroke if she found out her son was proficient in a number of martial arts. Still, the Academy had been good for him, gave him an outlet for his excitement and energy, and oh he had fallen in love with Starfleet and what it stood for. It had earned him a hard time from some of his classmates, but even years later he was still one of those true believers in Starfleet and its ideals. He hoped his new captain would live up to them, he didn’t want to have to think of the alternative.

Turning back to his paperwork, S’Thors continued to study the specifications of the ship he’d be calling home for the next few years. On top of his position as XO, he’d also be the ship’s tactical specialist. He’d always had a special flair for starship combat, it’s what earned him his relatively rapid promotions, hell it was why he was still alive. He set the PADD down again, thinking back once more to that terrible day. The smoke, the alarms, the smell of burning flesh, they hunted him in his sleep every now and again. Still with each passing year they faded further into the fog of the past. drat he’d been green then. Thrust into command when the senior officers on deck had been killed in a Klingon surprise attack. He still regarded it as something of a miracle he and the ship had survived. Still, it had catapulted his career into high gear, he couldn’t dispute that. Ever since then he’d clearly been being groomed for command, and he’d developed a reputation as an unorthodox tactician, something Starfleet clearly valued.

His reverie was interrupted by an announcement, the shuttle would be arriving at the ship momentarily. Taking the opportunity, S’Thors took in the ship from the shuttle’s viewport. There it was, the future, both for him and for Starfleet, and he’d be damned if he wouldn’t do everything he could to make sure it succeeded. The shuttle soon landed smoothly into the ship’s shuttlebay. Putting the PADDs away and gathering his gear, S’Thors stood up with a determined smile, ready to show just what he could do.

Valhawk fucked around with this message at 03:26 on May 21, 2021

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Lieutenant Commander Elar lav Grang, Chief Engineer
Values: Always Double-Check / Silence is Suspicious / If You Don't Know, Ask / Distrust All Absolutes, Including This One

quote:

"Mister lav Grang, what is this monstrosity sticking out of my ship's warp core?"
"Prettier than the monstrosity sticking out of your face."
"What was that?"
"It cycles the polarity of the antimatter waste created during the jump to warp speed and harvests the theta radiation to catalyze a secondary reaction. You wanted this tugboat to reach warp six, and now it does."
"I-... I have written papers on all the ways that should be impossible."
"Well I guess those papers are wrong, then. Now, is there anything else, or can I get back to doing my job?"

There has never been and will never be a Starfleet Officer with more demerits for insubordination than Elar lav Grang. Considered even by other Tellarites to be 'a bit abrasive', Elar has never met a person he couldn't start a heated debate with. By his reckoning, everything that can be argued should, and everything that can't better have a very good reason why (and he'll probably just argue about that instead). This contentious personality has resulted in several demotions over the course of his career, and, on one notable occasion, a court martial after causing a fist fight minor diplomatic incident with a Klingon ambassador. Elar lav Grang is a habitual, proud irritant, and a millstone around the neck of any captain or commanding officer looking for an engineer who will please just shut up and follow orders.

He is also one of the greatest warp physicists alive.

From the days of his youth in his family's orbital salvage yard to his years in Starfleet Academy, Elar has carried on his philosophy of refusing to accept easy answers, using it as a crowbar to pry discovery from assumption and understanding from ignorance. In his first year at the Academy, he published a groundbreaking proof on the behavior of antiquarks suspended in strong magnetic fields. In his third, he published an equally groundbreaking rebuttal, conclusively disproving his own "naive" assertions. This trend has continued to the present day, with Elar constantly walking the fine line of being too quarrelsome to promote, but too capable to dismiss.

His most recent assignment, Chief Engineer of the experimental USS Amphitrite, may finally be the opportunity he's needed to make the most of his talents, or it may just be an excuse to get rid of him and send him as far away from Federation space as possible. As for which? Well, he certainly isn't going to assume either way. Not while he still has a few strong words for the Captain about this requisition order for unrefined dilithium crystals...

girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 09:43 on May 17, 2021

Sax Solo
Feb 18, 2011




(Cosplay by Missy Magalie)

Lieutenant Commander Dr. Vyssia Azonan, Chief Medical Officer
Values: Logic is a Battlefield & I Must Win / Perfection is Worth Striving For / All Forms of Life Should Be Preserved / Everyone on the Ship is Under My Care

quote:

Starfleet Medical Records >> Board Evaluation A3F471274461 >> Additional Comments <CLASSIFIED>

Reviewer 1: I reviewed the candidate's papers after first contact with the Sussurian gas giant species: impeccable, solid work. Vulcan education and research attitude shows, but from interview it is clear the candidate belongs aboard a starship. Recommend appropriate promotion. I have no doubt candidate will grow into role.

Reviewer 2: Ambassador's Tarral's kid, huh. Grew up on Vulcan in the Andorian enclave there. Can you imagine it? Like alley cats living in a kennel. It doesn't sit well with me that there's sealed records of some kind of "incident" at VSA. If it was just a damned Andorian honor duel as she implied, the Vulcan records wouldn't be sealed too, would they? So... she might have some Vulcan enemies, and the Andorians might not like how she says the word "logically" every other minute. I'm saying, politically, she's fools' gold. But that's not the problem. Politics aside, I'd like to see more practical qualifications. If it was up to me I'd kick her back to Research but I've got no solid reason to reject her given how we need every warm body we can get.

Reviewer 3: Subject was difficult to assess until the topic of Lt. Commander Ubaan was broached, after which subject exhibited normal unguarded empathic behavior. Aside from personal grief signatures I detected great professional guilt. Criminal guilt unlikely; q.v. SS Golconda debriefing. Subject's testimony appeared genuine and I confirm all metrics in acceptable ranges. No hidden loyalty detected. No suspicious response to topic of genetics. Recommend advancement.

edit: fixed name spelling, xenobiology focus

Sax Solo fucked around with this message at 11:14 on May 20, 2021

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

First off, I've decided it's time for me to start writing notes for episodes to put you all through, so I need to settle on Era and Ship Type. Due to the votes that have been made so far, we have a pretty clear winner. The game will be taking place in the Original Series era, so get yourselves limber and prepare to start jumping off walls at your enemies and building cannons out of bamboo and rocks! Our ship will be the USS Amphitrite, an Experimental prototype Constellation Class vessel. I have a Captain in mind, blatantly stolen from a campaign I ran in person, but I will wait to introduce her in case anyone has a driving desire to play Captain and a really good idea for the character.

Here's who have applied thus far, and what they've applied as (or are thinking of applying with). So far, we have no Helmsman, no Science Officer completed, no Communications Officer, no Ops Officer (though I still think that's a vague job that was only put in place to avoid Data wearing blue because he was definitely the Science Officer and it would've clashed with his makeup). If you're really interested in a role someone's already applied for, though, don't let that stop you. I'm going to try and take a few more than the 5 I was originally thinking, but I won't be able to take on all 14 folks who have shown interest (at least not at once) so there will have to be some hard decisions in my future that may just end up being left to a roll of the dice. Recruitment is open for another couple of weeks so there's still plenty of time to apply.

I will post some questions for everyone who has a character application by Friday May 21st.



Rhjamiz - No Character Yet (Leaning Cardassian rear end in a top hat)

girl dick energy - Tellarite Chief Engineer

Sax Solo - Andorian Chief Medical Officer

Valhawk - Caitan XO/Tactical

Spiteski - Human Science Officer

DK - Ardanan Science Officer

Fuzz - No Character Yet (Leaning Medical)

Mycroft Holmes - No Character Yet

Drone - No Character Yet

LifeGetsWorser - Betazed Intelligence Officer

Epicurius - No Character Yet (Leaning Science/Medical)

Tricky - Caitan Counselor

Astus - No Character Yet

RandallODim - Andorian Chief of Security

Lager fucked around with this message at 13:32 on May 17, 2021

Spiteski
Aug 27, 2013



Following an established format...


Jnr Lieutenant Richard Schmidt (Smitty), Science Officer
Values: Knowledge and science are linchpin to society \ Push the Envelope with Experimental Technology \ Collaboration is key to success \ Getting your hands dirty is the only way to get it done.

I will edit in the blurb this evening.

RandallODim
Dec 30, 2010

Another 1? Aww man...

Master Chief Petty Officer Reikanatzya zh’Triztiq, Chief of Security for the USS Amphitrite
Values: I’m Goin’ Where My Heart Will Take Me / Sometimes Stun Just Isn’t Enough / A Fight’s The Best Way To Know Someone / A Keth Survives Together Or Not At All


Reikanatzya zh’Triztiq was born in a small Elia Clahd keth [Universal Translator’s Note: Andorian Tribal Community] on Patarra II, the eldest of five siblings. One of the remotest frost worlds on the Andorian frontier, life on Patarra II was made all the harsher by the Elia Clahd’s eschewal of any amenities more modern than the communal igloo, in the belief that Andorians had grown soft since moving beyond scraping out survival on Andoria’s frozen wastes. Her parents, passionate believers in these ‘back-to-the-ice’ teachings, carved massive reliefs in the great ice wall looming over their enclave just as their ancestors, with nothing more than their ushaan-tor [Universal Translator’s Note: Andorian Ice-Cutting Knife] and the hands they held them in. But while her family may have intended Reika as scion of their craft, every night, as she looked to the cold shelf of graven images that was to be her inheritance, her heart was drawn upwards to the ever-shifting stars.

Her family, of course, would have nothing of it. Her charan [Universal Translators Note: Primary Father], when she told them of her dreams, laughed and said the only way she would be allowed to leave the keth was an ushaan [Universal Translator’s Note: Andorian Honor Duel], such was the dishonor it would bring.

And so, when her eldest brother came of age himself to stand as heir, Reika went before her parents and made the challenge. Her charan was aghast. Her shreya [Universal Translator’s Note: Conceptive Mother] was livid. Even over her bondmates’ protestations, she accepted, pledging only blood would answer this offense. Her rage only grew when daughter cast aside her weapon as their duel commenced, but any words were choked off when, with a sudden tug of their gauntlets, Reika hauled the both of them to the ground.

She seemed to realize what was happening between the third and fourth knee to her head. In the end, it took a crushed ankle, two dislocated arms, and a fractured jaw before Reika’s shreya was finally declared unable to continue. She tried to spit at her as she was carried off.

Packing what few things she had, that night Reika started the three day trek over Patarra II’s ice plains to the nearest - secular - kethi.

---

The next few years were a blur of fights, both those demanded by honor and not. In a frontier community not driven by fervent dedication to ideas of honor and asceticism, it didn’t always make sense to settle internal disputes with a fight to the death, when even one life might be the difference between the community surviving the next freeze or dying, so designated dueling seconds were, if not in high-demand, at least appreciated, especially one who could be relied on to avoid lethal force. And, unfortunately, when your primary skillsets are ‘wilderness survival’ and ‘archaic ice carving’, there aren’t a lot of ways to make yourself useful in a more civilized community. So, partly by choice, partly by chance, Reika fell into the role of designated ushaan second.

But Reika, for her part, was realizing something: She liked fighting. The rush! The passion! The intimacy! There was nothing in the universe like a good scrap, but with every fight, as she refined her style and built up a local name, there came a growing longing. Locking in an armbar on a grounded opponent under the clear night sky, she found her heart, once again, drawn up to the stars. Even hearing what little she did about the larger Federation from the occasional trader or charter pilot, she felt the pull of the unknown.

To visit strange, distant worlds. To encounter strange new life and new civilizations.

To boldly armbar what no one has armbarred before.

When she was old enough (and conveniently just as questions about things like ‘marriage’, ‘children’ and ‘being tried as an adult’ started to be asked), Reika once more packed her few worldly possessions - her ushaan-tor, the obsidian figure of Thirishar [Universal Translator’s Note: Legendary proto-Andorian] whittled during her gestation by her thavan [Universal Translator’s Note: Secondary Father], and, at least this time, a few more sets of clothes than just the ones on her back - and boarded a shuttle to enlist in Starfleet Security.

---

Starfleet Command posted:

Board Evaluation, Specialist zh’Triztiq, RE: Actions During Destruction and Recovery of USS Horwitz



It is the findings of this committee that during the core breach that led to the total loss of the USS Horwitz, Specialist zh’Triztiq performed above and beyond her rank. Under extreme duress, she led not only the other members of her unit, but the engineers they were assigned to as well, to an escape shuttle, ensuring their survival in the face of a devastating tragedy. Furthermore, upon their landing on the uncharted Geryon IV, Speciallist zh’Triztiq assumed a position of leadership among this group, organizing them to secure shelter and sustenance. These efforts proved essential to the crew’s survival in the two months until the arrival of the USS Tubman under Captain Scoville.

It is the opinion of this committee that, despite her non-commissioned status, Specialist zh’Triztiq demonstrated leadership and heroism beyond her rank and is deserving of consideration for promotion to Master Chief Petty Officer, and assignment of her own security detail. During their time trapped on Geryon IV, Specialist zh’Triztiq ate only half rations, allowing other members of the crew with greater dietary needs to more comfortably subsist. Specialist zh’Triztiq’s own evaluation was that such behavior was simply “what you do for keth.”

However, it is also the findings of this committee that Specialist zh’Triztiq has a worrying tendency towards conflict, particularly physical. Multiple ensigns reported that she frequently resolved disputes, such as when a group wished to abandon their beacon for higher ground, through physical domination of her rivals. Further, she frequently encouraged those who disagreed with her decisions to pursue auto-jamaharon, and other colorful forms of verbal abuse. For these reasons, this committee must also caution against her promotion to a position of authority, particularly without remedial Academy training.

ADDENDUM:

Pursuant to Captain Scoville’s request for Specialist zh’Triztiq’s reassignment to the USS Amphitrite, and promotion to its Chief of Security, this committee can find no grounds on which to oppose such action.

RandallODim fucked around with this message at 03:52 on May 26, 2021

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Okay, folks...I'm going to provide a bit of insight into the ship and its captain, and I have some questions for each of you around your apps to help me get a feel for the characters and their goals, outlooks, etc.

Your Ship

The USS Amphitrite is a prototype for the new Constellation class cruiser. The Constitution, while never mass-produced at a high rate, has been patrolling the galaxy for many years now, and Starfleet has a feeling that they are on the cusp of a major breakthrough. That breakthrough is called Excelsior.. Unfortunately, advancement doesn't always come as easily as one would hope. The Excelsior was planned to be ready within the next few years, but it's been badly delayed. There are whispers that the transwarp drive, so heavily sought after for the Excelsior, may be completely untenable in the end. While the Excelsior languishes, the Federation has a need to continue moving forward - with or without transwarp drives. The Federation has grown a lot in the past ten years, due in no small part to the successful exploration missions carried out by Captain James T. Kirk and the USS Enterprise. As the Federation grows, it becomes more and more difficult for existing starships to patrol, keep the peace, and provide supplies to outlying colonies. A new, more efficient engine is needed - and quickly.

Fortunately, there are other methods. The Constellation class was created to test out a new type of engine, integrating anti-grav technology into the plasma containment system and the introduction of a new, more modern warp core. The warp nacelles have a sleek, blue glow to them, giving the ship a sense of refinement and modernity. Unfortunately, as the scientists and engineers responsible for designing this prototype keep reminding you, they also have the unfortunate habit of exploding with enough force to potentially destroy a planet. So there is that to deal with. But the engines have to be tested. The Federation cannot wait for Excelsior any longer.

The Amphitrite will be tested over the course of a five year mission along the edges of the Federation, in order to test the new ship in action. This follows a few more brief shakedown cruises which were...mostly successful. Don't worry about them. In preparation for this extended mission, along with the two new nacelles the Constellation class also has two more standard engines as a redundancy. They can be used in tandem, but are really intended to be used in case of a failure in the new systems. Hopefully it will not be necessary, but the Amphitrite's mission may be taking it beyond the range of any starbases to assist you in case of a problem. For this reason, the Constellation class also has an increased number of shuttlebays and cargo holds - more than twice the number of the Constitution or the new Miranda class starships. This should help the vessel thrive in deep space, without the need for constant resupplies from starbases that, quite frankly, have not yet been built.

Your Captain

The Amphitrite's commanding officer is Captain Amelia Scoville. Captain Scoville has spent most of her life in space, having been born on the USS Tecumseh in 2233. Her parents, both enlisted personnel, were engineers and had served on a wide variety of different ships. She was raised on board starships until the age of 7, when her parents transferred to the Utopia Planitia Shipyards orbiting Mars in order to be closer to Earth and provide more stability for their family. As a young girl, however, Amelia wanted nothing to do with planetary life and was desperate to do anything she could to get back on a starship. Her parents secured her an internship at the shipyards when she was 16 years old, giving her the opportunity to learn a great deal about the inner working of Starfleet vessels, and she was even given the opportunity to work on the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, when it came in for repairs under Captain Robert April.

While she had a great deal of respect for the hard work of engineers, however, Captain Scoville wanted to find a way onto the bridge. So it was that when she turned 19 Amelia applied for Starfleet Academy, hoping to go into Command school. She was at first hesitant to tell her parents, worried that they would be offended by her decision. Instead, however, they were ecstatic for her and supported her completely, even getting her in touch with several of their old colleagues from the Tecumseh who had retired to teaching jobs at the academy in order to help her get her application up to snuff.

Focusing on the Command track, but also specializing in Engineering in the Academy, Amelia Scoville graduated in 2256. Her first assignment was aboard the USS Turing, serving aboard that vessel for 4 years in various assignments. Gaining a reputation as something of a jack-of-all-trades, she also worked on a wide variety of assignments during her time onboard the USS Barcelona and the USS Yatagarasu.

She has put her skills to good use over the years, exploring strange new worlds and assisting in making first contact with numerous new species and civilizations. She lives in what is something of a golden age for Starfleet exploration, with exciting new places to explore and incredible discoveries in every new system. On one notable occasion, she encountered a being that lives most of its life as a gas - only solidifying once every few thousand years when its home planet enters an ice age. The entity, known as a Chalth, was initially threatening to the crew, but then-Commander Scoville was instrumental in finding common ground with the creature and convincing it that the crew of the Yatagarasu were not enemies.

She has dealt with the Romulans extensively, as well, being involved in a series of border skirmishes with them shortly after they resurfaced in conflict with the Enterprise. She understands their culture better than most Federation officers after her long interactions with them, and is considered about as close to an expert on the secretive culture of Romulus as the Federation has in their ranks.

Service Record

2256 - Assigned to USS Turing in Engineering, awarded the rank of Ensign
2257 - Promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade, assigned as Third Shift Flight Controller
2259 - Promoted to Lieutenant, transferred to USS Barcelona as Transporter Chief
2262 - Promoted to Lieutenant Commander, assigned as EPS Supervisor, later Chief Engineer
2265 - Promoted to Commander, transferred to USS Yatagarasu as First Officer
2268 - Promoted to Captain of the USS Tubman
2271 - Transferred to command of the USS Amphitrite, has been on Earth for several months preparing for this new assignment


Questions for each of you

Lieutenant Commander Elar lav Grang, Chief Engineer - How do you feel about the ship? Do you prefer to stay onboard the vessel, tinkering with it and keeping it in peak conditioning? Or do you enjoy the opportunity to get away during away missions, in order to explore potentially unknown technologies or test out your skills in new situations?

Lieutenant Commander Dr. Vyssia Azonan, Chief Medical Officer - What initially drew you to medicine? Do you prefer research, or field work? Do you have a particular problem you've been working through, dedicating your career to solving? Was there something in your past that gave you a drive to heal?

Commander S'Thors, Executive Officer - A tactician with a pacifist upbringing. Obviously, you've had experience with ship combat, and I assume you've fired the ship's weapons on enemy vessels before, causing the deaths of their crews. Have you ever killed outside of a ship, though? Have you ever had to take a life when you've had to see them die? And if so, what did that do to you?

Commander Airelan, Science Officer - How well known is your passion for sculpture? Is it a private love that you use to fill your own quarters, or is it almost a second career to you? Does your work feature in galleries throughout the galaxy? Do you display it under a pseudonym in order to live in anonymity?

Lieutenant Commander Ayora Shen, Intelligence Officer - What was it that specifically drew you to Starfleet? I know that you wanted to get away from your home planet, but surely you could've found a mining operation to join, or a merchant vessel in need of a crew. Do you prefer being in space to being on a planet? Do you prefer alien thoughts, where it's more on you to pull thoughts rather than having them constantly pushed at you by other Betazoids? Do you like the challenge, or the exploration?

Commander Aina C'nello, Ship's Counselor - Similar question. You say that you were drawn to the excitement of the edges of known space, but why was that? Do you thrive in meeting new species, and understanding their divergent viewpoints? Do you have a need to provide a cheery disposition to counteract the grim realities of life in the vast emptiness of the abyss? Is that why you had to take a leave of absence, that even your optimism and compassion were tempered by the tragedy of watching your friend waste away by the cruel and random hand of fate?


I'll post additional questions for others as backstories are posted!

Lager fucked around with this message at 14:04 on May 22, 2021

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE

Lager posted:

Commander S'Thors, Executive Officer - A tactician with a pacifist upbringing. Obviously, you've had experience with ship combat, and I assume you've fired the ship's weapons on enemy vessels before, causing the deaths of their crews. Have you ever killed outside of a ship, though? Have you ever had to take a life when you've had to see them die? And if so, what did that do to you?

S'thors leans back in his seat, his rumbly voice measured, clearly this is not the first time he's had to field this question, "My parents are pacifists, I am not. Lets just say it's been a point of conflict for us ever since I was a boy." He sighs slightly, "As to your specific question, yes I have had to use violence both starship to starship and in close combat. I'm assuming you've read my personnel file but I'll give you an example. When I was a lieutenant commander aboard the Kongo, we engaged in a campaign against a particularly vicious band of Orion pirates in the Argelius Sector. Those bastards had brutalized the local population for years, until finally the locals reached out to Starfleet for assistance. We managed to thin the pirates numbers by using probes to create the appearance of unguarded freighters to anyone relying on sensors, and then pouncing on the pirate vessels from hiding when attacked."

"Beyond fighting in space, we had numerous encounters with them and their handiwork planetside as well. One time in particular, I was leading an away team investigating a settlement while the Kongo conducted a survey of some nearby wreckage. While the ship was away, a particularly bold and stupid raiding party attacked the settlement. I had been concerned about the possibility and insisted we include a fully equipped security detail. With me at the head, we engaged them with phasers, and in some cases hand to hand. They had expected to roll over an unorganized group of settlers, they were not prepared for a Starfleet away team, especially not one fully armed and prepared to fight. They were outmatched, and when the Kongo returned and drove off their ship, they refused to surrender." The caitan's voice is cold and clinical, "Would it have been preferable if they could have been detained without violence? Yes. Do I regret what I did that day? No. If we hadn't acted to defend the settlement many innocent people would've died, end of story."

His tone becomes more normal as he finished describing the incident. "The universe is not a simple place, sometimes the use of physical force is necessary and just. I've always looked at it this way." He puts forth his hand, examining it, and extends one of his claws, a reminder of his species predatory origins, taking on a vaguely philosophical demeanor, he continues, "Caitan are descended from one of our planet's apex predator species. Even today, though we are so different from our distant ancestors, we still have the fangs and claws of a predator, sharp and dangerous if used unwisely." He looks intently at the claw, "It's neither inherently good or evil, it just is. What makes makes it good or evil is what we do with it. I'd rather put my claws to good use, defending the innocent and those unable to defend themselves against those that would harm and oppress them, rather then letting that part of me rot." He retracts the claw, and looks back with the smile of a man largely at peace with himself and his past, "I've seen death, I've caused death, but I've also seen the lives my action have saved, and I think the scales are more than balanced in my favor. Now, I have no doubt my parents would disagree with me about all of it and be horrified at what I've done. I knew this was part of what I was signing up for when I joined Starfleet. Pacifism is a wonderful idea in theory, but the universe isn't always a civilized place. Its unfortunate my parents can't see that, but," he tilts his head a little comically and shrugs, "them's the breaks, as it were."

Tricky
Jun 12, 2007

after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage


Lager posted:

Commander Aina C'nello, Ship's Counselor - Similar question. You say that you were drawn to the excitement of the edges of known space, but why was that? Do you thrive in meeting new species, and understanding their divergent viewpoints? Do you have a need to provide a cheery disposition to counteract the grim realities of life in the vast emptiness of the abyss? Is that why you had to take a leave of absence, that even your optimism and compassion were tempered by the tragedy of watching your friend waste away by the cruel and random hand of fate?

Aina leans forward, "What drew me to Starfleet? That's an easy enough answer. I was raised on a colony that saw quite a few ships come through. We were a popular R&R destination, particularly for Starfleet crews about to embark on a lengthier deployment. So, even when I was little more than a kitten, I was gorging myself on the stories you could hear in every corner — stories of going out into that final frontier. Stories of exploring strange new places, meeting new forms of life and civilization." A beat, a slight smile, "Going where no one had gone before, I suppose."

"And, absolutely, the reality of exploring the frontiers of known space lived up to those stories. I've seen so much, had the opportunity to help facilitate those moments of first contact with people and existences beyond imagination, and... well, I came back for a reason. It's hard to imagine living a quiet life as a civilian after everything I've seen. And there's still so much! Space is impossibly huge, after all, and there's a new mystery in every system. "

"It's not to say that I never get ground down by what I've seen. Everyone does. I wasn't working as the counselor on the Lexington, communications was my first assignment, but..." Aina looks pensive for a moment, "Well, people need to step up when the needs arise. If there's something I can do for the ship, some need that I can fulfill, that's what I do. That's the sort of person my family raised me to be. It's just... well, have you heard of compassion fatigue? By the end, I was taking on so much of the crew's pain and anxiety, let alone my own, that I was starting to stop feeling. That scared me, almost as much as being helpless to help."

"So I took some time away from active duty to recharge, but also to learn how to do what I was already doing better. I'd started some additional training near the end of my time with the Lexington, but I was able to finish my coursework and become formally certified by Starfleet for work as a Ship's Counselor. I'm happy to help out on the bridge as needed, particularly if there's a need for a linguistics specialist or xenoarchaelogist, but my primary concern will be keeping everyone aboard the Amphitrite fit for duty and feeling their best."

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Lager posted:

Lieutenant Commander Elar lav Grang, Chief Engineer - How do you feel about the ship? Do you prefer to stay onboard the vessel, tinkering with it and keeping it in peak conditioning? Or do you enjoy the opportunity to get away during away missions, in order to explore potentially unknown technologies or test out your skills in new situations?
When the newshound arrives, Elar is in the same place he's spent every spare moment since his reassignment: Deep within the bowels of the Amphitrite, running through every system with a fine-toothed comb. He's elbows-deep in the guts of a console when the interview begins, meticulously running his fingers across every individual wire from one point of connection to the other. Scattered at his feet is a graveyard of the ones that didn't meet his standards, as well as a nearly-empty roll of the replacement.

"I can't imagine another ship I'd rather serve on." Grunting as he rises to his feet, Elar keeps the conversation going as he crosses the room to the replicator. "Computer wire, 72.3% gold, 23.6% silver, 4.1% zinc, 9.2660 millimeters thick." Taking the roll of wire and wiping his hands, Elar returns to where he was, closes up the panel, and opens the one immediately adjacent to it, diving right back in. "Served under Captain Scoville when she was Chief Engineer of the Barcelona. Good head on her shoulders, lifelong spacer like me, and we still must have spent as much time arguing as working. Always thought she couldn't stand me. But I must have made some kind of impression, huh?"

"As for the Amphitrite herself, she's a marvel. Even if the people who put it together shouldn't be trusted with two tin cans and a string." Illustrating his point, Elar takes a grip on one of the wires and gives it a sharp tug. There's a shower of sparks as it rips right out of the socket, and he rolls his eyes before yanking out the other side the same way and tossing it over his shoulder so he can start on replacing it. "Just because the warp drive's the new tech isn't an excuse to cut so many drat corners on the rest. I'm going to be down here rebuilding her from scratch at this rate. Maybe that's why Scoville requested me? Only engineer in Starfleet who understands the warp core but won't spend the whole tour fawning over it. That, or the only one who's crazy enough to spend five years in the same room as an antigravity plasma inductor. If the vacuum chamber's breached when that thing's powered on, this whole deck's going Vesuvius!"

Laughing at his own joke that he either doesn't know or doesn't care has a somewhat distressing punchline, Elar sighs and shakes his head. "It's not that I don't want to go out on away missions, meet new life, build a communicator out of tinfoil and bubblegum. I do! But I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure this boat isn't going to vent superheated carbon on my junior engineers."

girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 02:22 on May 26, 2021

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Master Chief Petty Officer Reikanatzya zh’Triztiq, Chief of Security - How comfortable are you around technology now that you're out in open space? How much of a learning curve was there, or did you already start to integrate once you left your clan behind? You seem to have some engineering training (perhaps you took an extension course?) but how difficult did you find it to acclimate yourself to modern tech? Do you still find yourself preferring melee combat to phaser fire, or have you adjusted and embraced the more advanced weaponry that the Federation offers you?

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Reminder - I'll be making the picks for the crew next week, so if you still have an application to submit you've got about a week to go. If you don't feel like you have the time/energy/idea for a character right now, we will likely need replacements down the road, and I'm open to guest stars as well, including those who are not crewmembers or even Starfleet or Federation-aligned as well. Ever wanted to do an appearance as Captain Koloth's 3rd-cousin, Kasper the Friendly Klingon? Now's your chance!

Once picks are made I will post another series of questions designed to help me build NPCs to fill out the rest of the crew, and other NPCs that may have pre-established relationships with our senior staff. These will be up for grabs by anyone in the game.

Epicurius
Apr 10, 2010
College Slice
Dr. Sabin Pohr, Chief Medical Officer

Values:"Only by looking to the wisdom of the past can we understand the wisdom of the present.". "The practice of medicine is the realization that all life has value. Not just Trill lives, not just Federation lives, but all lives are worthy of dignity and respect.", "The Federation's not perfect, and by the Pool's light, Starfleet can make the Symbiosis Commission look like a bunch of wild eyed radicals. But it's best hope we've got.", "Space is a wonderful, marvelous place, full of mysteries to be explored, but if you're not careful, if you're unlucky, you'll end up dead, far from home and family."

I remember my first host. Her name was Nafa and she was a dancer. This was before first contact, when we thought we were alone in the galaxy. Nafa was the most athletic woman i know, and I've known some athletic people. When she danced, it was like she was floating on air. That's how it felt, that everything that held you to the earth was gone, and you were alone with the air, and the music, and the joy of it. One of my greatest regrets is that none of my other hosts could dance.

I remember the stress of my childhood. I was a bundle of nerves. My parents were doctors on Trill, both of them unjoined, so medicine was a conversation around the dinner table growing up. My father's failure to be joined was a sense of shame to him, I think. Oh, he never said it, but it was. It shouldn't have been. Every year, almost no one is found suitable. Most people just don't have the ability to take on a symbiote. But still, he saw it as a failure of character, and I think that's why he pushed me so hard. So I took all the exams, physical, mental, psychological, moral. To do all that while getting a medical degree was....exhausting. I couldn't even take time to relax and party. That might prove I was unsuitable. I know everyone has pressure on them from their own sense of obligations and family pressure, but what do you do when you're facing pressure from your own society? That's a lot of pressure.

The pools are quiet and warm. When we don't have a host, our lives would be hard for humanoids to understand. We swim. We feed off the nutrients in the pool and on the light, and we communicate with each other. It is safe there, safe and quiet. We are protected by the Guardians. I don't know what would have happened to us if we hadn't met the humanoids. We would all still be in our pools, I think, knowing nothing, seeing nothing outside of the water.

My apartment was quiet and warm. I had just finished my residency, and was a physician in my own right now. Having gotten my credentials, I was getting ready to leave....not just the hospital but Trill itself. I had applied for and gotten accepted to Starfleet. My parents didn't really take it well. You see, at the time, and even today, really, most Trill didn't leave the Homeworld or interact much with aliens. Oh, we were Federation members, of course, and we traded with other planets, sent diplomats and did all the official things a Federation member did, but most Trill didn't really trust aliens that much. It wasn't just that. My father was convinced that it meant the end of my chances of being joined. At that point, though, I don't know if I cared. It seemed like the symbiosis committee had forgotten about me. I was in that sort of mood when I got the letter and skimmed it. "Sabin Ridin....Symbiosis Committee....honored to announce.....accepted for joining....". "Oh, crap", I remember thinking.

My plans had to be changed after the death of my last host, obviously. I had actually had a vacation planned with our family. This host was a workaholic, much to his detriment and the detriment of his family life. So it would have been good to take time off and reconnect. Sadly, his heart didn't think so. The last thing I remember thinking as I was pulled out of him and put in stasis was just, "Oh, crap."

My plans had to be changed when I got the letter, obviously. I contacted Starfleet and managed to get my acceptance deferred. The fact that I had the planetary government able to vouch for me undoubtedly helped. I was rushed to the Committee offices where I filled out no end of paperwork and underwent no end of further training. Then, finally, most of the neccesary things were done, and it was busy work until they were ready for an implantation. Finally, one day, they called me in. The whole events of the day were a blur. I was scared, sure, but mostly, I was curious. I wanted to see what it would be like. I still remember feeling that way as the anesthetic took hold and I drifted off to sleep.

Then, we woke up.

I won't bore you too much with my life story after that, although I guess each of the individual stories are interesting enough, but you've probably heard all sorts of Starfleet stories....how I got to Earth, finally, where Starfleet taught me to stand at attention, salute, and pretend to be an officer, how our shuttle crashed when we were delivering supplies to a colony on Beta Organa IV, and how I had to drag a crewman and supplies 20 miles to the colony with a mangled leg, saving the crewman and supplies, but losing the leg, how one time I found myself midwife to an asteroid....strangest baby I ever did deliver. I'll tell you those stories if you want, but, for whatever reason, I was thinking about beginnings. Blame it on age I guess. Turning 50 will do that to a man.

Astus
Nov 11, 2008

Lieutenant Kimoni Tral, Flight Controller
Values: Driven to Prove Herself / Exuberant Curiousity, Minimal Restraint / Well-Intentioned Meddling / Diving Into Danger is Part of the Job

Kimoni grew up on a remote R&D base, where she discovered her fascination with schematics of starships, especially anything to do with impulse engines. Her parents, both being engineers, tried to foster that interest, hoping that perhaps a technical education could help calm down her budding rambunctious personality. This plan did not succeed, but Kimoni showed enough promise in her studies that she applied for the Initiate Program, hoping, as many do, to one day be Joined with a Symbiont. And like many of those other aspiring initiates, she failed. While she certainly showed promise, it was decided that her rashness was an unsuitable quality.

So instead she went to the Starfleet Academy, where everyone who knew her assumed she'd sign up for the engineering classes. But while tinkering with a starship's engines certainly sounded like fun to her, she just couldn't pass up a chance to one day be able to man the helm of a starship herself. Her teachers at the academy welcomed her curiosity, while doing their best to instill caution into her, warning her of the dangers of diving headfirst into every problem. This attempt at teaching Kimoni restraint failed as well, as would many other attempts made even after she graduated.

The closest anyone ever came to reigning in Kimoni's recklessness was Commander T'Vral, the Vulcan chief engineer on Kimoni's prior starship assignment. T'Vral took Kimoni under her wing, and taught the young Trill much. Sure, the lessons of logic over emotion mostly flew over her head. And no, she did not show much restraint when her ship found a derelict starship from an unknown alien civilization, and immediately volunteered for the away team, which through various circumstances lead to her "accidentally" restoring power to the ship's engines in a way that had a non-zero chance for the entire derelict to explode. And yes, T'Vral's mentoring did directly lead to Kimoni also trying to inspire others with her own clumsy brand of "inspired wisdom", causing just as much intense annoyance as actual helpful advice.

But T'Vral was the one who recommended Kimoni for the position of flight controller for the USS Amphitrite, so she must have seen no small amount of potential in the Lieutenant.


...unless she was just trying to get rid of Kimoni in a polite way, but surely T'Vral would never do something like that, right?

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Dr. Sabin Pohr, Chief Medical Officer - Is it to be assumed, Doctor, that you've already had your zhian'tara ritual? How did that feel, meeting the other hosts? Do you have a sense of where you fit in with the history of the Pohr symbiote? Have you mentored any young initiates, and if so, what is your reputation among those young recruits?


Lieutenant Kimoni Tral, Flight Controller - Was it a disappointment to you to be unable to be joined? Was Starfleet in mind as a potential future regardless of your success or failure at the Symbiosis Commission, or was it simply a fallback career for you? Does knowing how to fix and maintain the engines make you more, or less, likely to take risks while piloting?

Fuzz
Jun 2, 2003

Avatar brought to you by the TG Sanity fund
Recruitment still open?

Lager
Mar 9, 2004

Give me the secret to the anti-puppet equation!

Fuzz posted:

Recruitment still open?

Yup, till Friday morning (central US time). That afternoon I'll make the picks.

Fuzz
Jun 2, 2003

Avatar brought to you by the TG Sanity fund


Dr Kehdza Zek, Lt Cmdr, Chief Medical Officer

Values: "There is more to the Universe than what's on Trill" / "I can make it on my own" / "I want to live my life to the fullest, with no regrets" / "Every life matters, Ever life is connected"


Kehdza did not want to be Joined.

Nevertheless, we are.

Fiercely independent at a young age, Kehdza rapidly grew embittered at the emphasis her society placed on Joining, and on some levels found herself actively resenting the symbionts, so much so that the first chance she got, she fled Trill and enrolled in Starfleet Academy as the first Trill (joined or otherwise) in Starfleet, much to the chagrin of her parents, who had been steadfastly and laser-focusedly trying to nurture Kehdza and her older brother, Aton, into the perfect hosts to be Joined. Alone and with no others of her species to support her, she learned to make it on her own on Earth, focusing her fledgling medical skills heavily into Medicine and the Sciences, while also finding she loved the freedom of flying shuttlecraft.

This mix of skills got her assigned as the First Medical Officer on the USS Adirondack, a Miranda-class survey ship which had been tasked with studying nebulae and stellar events along the Neutral Zone. The post was generally dull, tending to minor burns or cuts and bruises, and she didn't mind working under Chief Medical Officer Warren Petty, after all, they were the only medical staff aboard the ship, but she lived for her jaunts in the lone shuttle the Adirondack had, and put in a bit of flight time.

All that changed when the Trill government decided to formally explore petitioning the Federation for membership. As the only Trill in Starfleet, and with a personal connection to the Ambassador, she was the obvious choice to join the detachment to welcome the Trill Ambassador... Aton Zek, and assist in helping him acclimate to the Federation petition process. She was reassigned to the USS Republic and attached to the Ambassador as his personal liaison with Starfleet. She had not seen Aton, her older brother, in almost a decade, and in that time he had undergone the Joining to the Zek symbiont and gotten married and started a family on Trill.

Aton had been a cocky, condescending, and frankly arrogant older brother. Aton was their parents' favored child, Kehzda the black sheep by comparison in every possible way, a fact he would often rub in her face when they were children.

Aton Zek, by comparison, still had that streak of smug charm about him, but also was an amiable and outgoing sort, extremely curious to learn of Kehdza's experiences with Starfleet and try to rebuild the broken bridges between the two of them. Captain Saul Garrovick, a hard man who led by the rules, was decidedly nonplussed by the sometimes very public spats and frustrated and terse tones that often accompanied his Ambassador guest and his liaison, and after one particularly heated outburst in which Kehdza slammed her meal tray and shouted across the Mess Hall that Aton was "still insufferable," Garrovick aggressively intervened and gave Kehdza the ultimatum that she and her brother had better make up before they returned to Starbase 12 to begin discussions about Federation admission.

Begrudgingly, Kehdza and Aton Zek set out in a shuttle craft, the tense and awkward flight being interrupted by a contact from through the Neutral Zone. The Republic, unwilling to wait to recall the shuttle, instructed them to hold position while it went to investigate, leaving the siblings to spend quite a bit longer than anticipated in close quarters. They argued, they mocked each other, but they also reminisced about better times and Kehdza was reminded of the beauty of Trill, as well as stories about her niece and nephew, and the family she'd left behind.

They almost made a breakthrough in rebuilding their relationship on that long wait, but fate had other plans, and an errant solar flare from the star cluster they were sitting in blew out their impulse drives and life support, sending the ship hurtling to a crash landing on a Class L uncharted moon, Aton mortally wounded. His chest pierced with shrapnel and bleeding out, his last words to his sister were, "save Zek," and so she did the only thing she could think of and used the basic triage and assessment medical bay on the shuttle to perform an emergency transfer of Zek into herself.

Kehdza Zek almost died on that moon, going in and out of consciousness as she administered stimulants to herself to keep herself, and Zek, alive as they Joined, gritting her teeth through the pain, but they were ultimately rescued by the Republic.

Initially facing court martial for her actions and violation of the Federation Diplomatic Code, Zek spoke for themselves at their trials, making a very eloquent and cogent argument to the Starfleet Medical staff on the Tribunal that Kehdza had been following her physician's mandate in rescuing Zek using the only means at her disposal, and that, although Aton was the Trill Ambassador, nevertheless so was Zek, and thus with their consent, the procedure did not, in fact, violate Federation Diplomatic Code. The Trill government, and the Symbiont Commission, on the other hand, are thus fr not apprised of the situation, though Aton's remains were returned to Trill, Zek's survival not reported to them at its request.

Exonerated of all charges, Kehdza and Zek were left on shore leave for a few months to become accustomed to the new and rather impromptu reality they now faced. In light of her quick thinking, various skills, and service record, she was hand-picked by Captain Amelia Scoville to be the USS Amphitrite's new Chief Medical Officer.

Fuzz fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jun 3, 2021

Astus
Nov 11, 2008

Lager posted:

Lieutenant Kimoni Tral, Flight Controller - Was it a disappointment to you to be unable to be joined? Was Starfleet in mind as a potential future regardless of your success or failure at the Symbiosis Commission, or was it simply a fallback career for you? Does knowing how to fix and maintain the engines make you more, or less, likely to take risks while piloting?

Disappointment is putting it mildly. It's not like being passed over for a promotion, or like others not recognizing your achievements. This was Kimoni's one shot at obtaining a unique experience that only a handful of Trill are ever allowed to have, and she blew it. Or rather, she was doomed to failure from the start for having an incompatible personality compared to what the Commission were looking for. A lot of focus in Trill society is given to those who become Joined, but most don't really consider what happens to the failed initiates, who then have to go on with their lives like normal. There's only so much "Well, you tried your best" Kimoni could stand to hear from her friends and family, which played a large part in her joining Starfleet. After all, the Joining isn't talked about outside of Trill society, so it was highly unlikely for to be asked any prying questions about her failure.

As for taking risks, Kimoni would say her technical knowledge of most Starfleet engine designs allows her to better know just how hard she can push the ship when she needs to. That said, she has been reminded several times already that the USS Amphitrite is a prototype, and to not assume she can push it as hard as the older, more reliable ships she's served on. Still, surely it'll be fine to push it a little bit past the advised safety limit? After all, the point of this five year mission is to test the Constellation's capabilities.

LifeGetsWorser
Oct 23, 2010

Me "IRL" :smug:
Fun Shoe

Lager posted:

Lieutenant Commander Ayora Shen, Intelligence Officer - What was it that specifically drew you to Starfleet? I know that you wanted to get away from your home planet, but surely you could've found a mining operation to join, or a merchant vessel in need of a crew. Do you prefer being in space to being on a planet? Do you prefer alien thoughts, where it's more on you to pull thoughts rather than having them constantly pushed at you by other Betazoids? Do you like the challenge, or the exploration?

Ayora stares at the newshound for a moment, her pearl-black eyes as unreadable as ever, then she raises an eyebrow and says "Betazoids do, surely. Mining crews, merchant vessels - we're highly prized at the latter of course - the Bank of Betazed is something of a famous financial institution - even if it's mostly famous for being robbed. But no, not for me."

She pauses again, closing her eyes as she considers. Curating her response, more likely - a hazard of intelligence work, she supposed.

"The Commander of the Federation Embassy on Betazed - a human by the name of Hale - she was instrumental, you could say, in my decision to join Starfleet. At first I don't think she was very...acclimated to Betazoid culture - humans are generally embarassed of their own bodies and the bodies of others, so I imagine coming from the military arm of that to the comparably hedonistic Betazed must have been quite the culture shock for her. For me though, it was a breath of fresh air - it's difficult, to say the least, to fit in when everyone is telepathic, and when your disinterest in the cultural norm is one of your constant surface thoughts, well...

Having regular opportunities to be around non-telepaths was something of a delight. I volunteered for work at the embassy as soon as I could - and I was eager to put my nose into practically everything, and help the Federation members planetside get something of a different view on the planet. Eventually I got Hale's attention and started working with her directly, and once she had the thought that I ought to ask for her sponsorship, well, I asked." She smirks, the hypocrisy of not liking her mind being read but being willing to read others' minds wasn't lost on her.

"As for your other questions, I prefer space. Planets tend to be too busy - well, populated ones anyway - too many stray foreign thoughts to sort through. Being shipboard you get more accustomed to the regular culprits - what the captain and the engineer and etcetera are thinking about is an easier thing to distinguish than what are 87 locals thinking and why - and thus it's also easier to block out. But as you might imagine, intelligence work requires a lot of immersion on foreign planets, so...I've gotten used to it.

Alien minds are more interesting - Betazoids is like...well, it's like jousting. Any Betazoid who tells you they don't probe is lying, which I can attest to because other Betazoids did it to me, too. It was, in a way, a constant battle to keep my life private. Mostly unsuccessfully. Until I got to the Academy and was introduced to the cornucopia of alien thought processes, which was great! I could not only let my defenses down a bit (not entirely of course - Vulcans are telepathic too, after all), and I could expose myself to other modes of thinking other than Betazoid thought. Frankly, I'm a bit astounded that I'm one of the only Betazoids to do this - it is a rather unique experience.

Which, I suppose, is my answer to your final question - I like the experience. So, both? The challenge and the exploration. The shine hasn't faded really, not even after the career I've had. There's so much in the galaxy, and I got to choose to go see it and feel it and be challenged by it, and that's why I'm here."

Epicurius
Apr 10, 2010
College Slice

Lager posted:

Dr. Sabin Pohr, Chief Medical Officer - Is it to be assumed, Doctor, that you've already had your zhian'tara ritual? How did that feel, meeting the other hosts? Do you have a sense of where you fit in with the history of the Pohr symbiote? Have you mentored any young initiates, and if so, what is your reputation among those young recruits?

I have had my zhian'tara ritual, of course. You know, I'm sure, that it's recommended it be done early, for the mental health of the host, among other things. Without it, of course, one has the memories of the other hosts, but without context, and the new host can be overwhelmed by the strength of their personalities and memories. When I was first joined, I had an overwhelming desire for kaladash pudding., This wouldn't be so bad, except I hate kaladash pudding. It turns out Sidrid, the fourth host, loved the stuff (and had a waistline that showed it). It was it invoked memories of her, as a young girl, going to the beach in the summers with her family and eating it with her brother as the sun went down over the ocean. What was, for me, just a sickly sweet treat, was for her, a memory of her childhood and the innocent times she had, a comfort to her in times of stress.

As to where I fit in the history of the Pohr symbiote, it wasn't clear at first. The Pohr symbiote has had hosts that were male and female, straight and gay, traditionalist and radical, and so on. I think what binds them, besides ambition, is the understanding that if you know the rules of a situation, you can use them to get what you need, if that makes sense.

As for mentoring, I've mentored three initiates, but all three washed out of the program. I believe I have the reputation of being "frightening", which is, of course, absurd. I am the soul of kindness and tact. Still, having a symbiote is a big responsibility....it represents the history and future of our species. There's no kindness is giving that opportunity to someone who isn't fit for it. It will destroy both host and symbiote.

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Sax Solo
Feb 18, 2011



Lieutenant Commander Dr. Vyssia Azonan, Chief Medical Officer

Despite the best efforts of the Captain, Doctor Azonan remained very much not at ease. The gift she brought, an Omicronian Spiricele, sat on the meeting room table in its angular clay pot, its dozens of small white conical flowers bristling its winding stem like ivory thorns. She had explained to the captain that the plant possessed a curious form of immortality, and she had given assurances that this particular clipping was unlikely to emit any pain filaments. Still, Azonan was not sure if the Captain appreciated the gift; in fact it was not clear that the Captain had officially accepted it.

Do you prefer research, or field work?

"Field work, without question. Sometimes I miss all the specialized analysis machines at the Academy. I'd kill for a full photonic analyzer. Think of it... It would require a whole deck of the Amphitrite. But a tricorder can do a little bit of everything and fits over the shoulder. It's not about the technology of course. It's far better to go where life is lived, and not misunderstand it, or turn it into something else, by thinking in terms of what can be done back at the big labs."

Do you have a particular problem you've been working through, dedicating your career to solving?

"Well I am still involved in Omicronic Symbiote treatments, though I think all the easy gains have been had there, and I still work on the reports from my training cruise. And I am part of the Medical Tricorder Review Association, mostly pertaining to botanical matters. Very little work has been done there. The shadow of the Denobulan School is long. Animals are well understood, perhaps to the detriment of everything else."

Doctor Azonan's antenna lowered. "And some ethical questions linger too." They raised again and she brightened.

"But my main project now is a paper, well, it's an expansion of the paper I had at the Academy. 'On the Language of Plants'. Which of course requires scaling definitions of language and entitization to become meaningful, but it is not merely a study of the question, nor do I want to fall prey to false paradigm creation. When people ask me if this is my life's work, I say that sounds optimistic."

What initially drew you to medicine? Was there something in your past that gave you a drive to heal?

To this final question Doctor Azonan's face remained neutral, but her antenna slowly went askew. To another Andorian this would be an obvious tell-tale. Cracks in the ice. A goad felt. She played for time by feigning interest in the view of the space dock through the viewport.

"I have a dinner-party answer to this question. It goes: I preferred biology, but as it turned out my apartment at VSA was closer to the medical college than to the biosciences complex. Then I explain that the through-line is life and sentience. 'The wondrous, messy machines'. I opened the wrong door but it was the same house. And I suppose that is true enough.

"What I do not share at dinner parties was that the choice was not entirely voluntary. When I was studying biology in my first year, there was an.. incident. A situation of conflicting passions arose. For the Andorians like me, living on Vulcan was like being in a pressure chamber. We felt we had to prove ourselves to the Vulcans, and prove ourselves to each other as Andorians. Honor duels were common. Ushaan is designed to resolve conflicts, but sometimes it becomes wrapped up in them, especially when the rules are not followed. A series of Ushaans is very bad. And that is what happened.

"As a result, a Vulcan friend of mine took his own life. This was done in my proximity, though I was only peripherally involved in the causal events. Nevertheless, there I was. His family pressed ethical charges against me. My family countered and escalated. It became a scandal, or, perhaps, a show-war. Faculty and students started to pick sides. These were to be my future teachers, mentors, and colleagues. How could I possibly continue? The whole thing sickened me, including my own actions. Against my family's wishes -- or I should say, against my family's timeline -- I simply transferred to the medical college and started over. And it sounds embarrassing to say, but medicine taught me how to care about, not just Life, but a life; about individual beings, about people, about myself. Which is, I think, something I had known, but then forgot along the way."

Azonan reached out to the table and put her hands on the Omicrinian Spiricele's pot. She slid it back towards herself, and kept it in her hands. "I think you might prefer a Rigellian Vort. Warm, attentive, low-maintenance, brightens up anyone's quarters. I have the seeds of some magnificent specimens. You can have your pick when they're grown, if you like."

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