interest check & test drive #001.

[nebulamods]

welcome to nebula station. At some point approximately three to four months ago in your recent past, you were approached by a recruiter for Galactic Exploration, offering a paid position aboard the Nebula Station for a one-year minimum term after successful completion of a short training program. For a reason known only to you, you accepted this offer. Perhaps you were short on cash. Perhaps you were manipulated into it — did the recruiter know about your seventeen unpaid parking tickets, or the interplanetary bounty on your head, or the fact that your ex-spouse is hounding you for alimony that you decidedly don't want to pay? Regardless of the reason, your acceptance of the offer, enrollment in training, and subsequent successful completion has led you here: to a transport shuttle, and to your new life. After a flight of unknown length, you wake to the sounds of people moving around you, the familiar rustling of hands against fabric as your fellow travelers begin to jostle their bags and straighten their clothes after a long flight. Even in space, the urge to be the first one off the plane is still alive and well, and many people are clearly anxious to get moving. As if on cue, a polite, almost cheerful three-tone chime can be heard through the speakers in the wall and above each passenger. "Welcome," the voice that follows intones, all warm vowels and the kind of enthusiasm that can only be paid for, "to Nebula Station. We're glad you're here, and we look forward to helping you get settled. Please take a moment to gather your personal belongings, and when the captain gives the all-clear, head out in an orderly fashion to the gangway, where a member of our senior staff will be glad to welcome you to your new home-away-from-home."

getting settled. Upon first entry to the Station, you'll be greeted by a small group of bright-eyed, wide smiling crew members. These are Circle members — veterans aboard the Nebula Station who've opted to continue on for longer than their initial one-year commitment. They can be easily identified by the faintly glowing purple circle pinned onto their uniforms. Circle members have one primary job today: to activate crew IDs and issue welcome materials, within which you'll find a wide range of pertinent information. Of course, being that the Station is in space and supplies are limited, these materials come in a decidedly modern flavor. First: your ID. Less issuing and more activating, the Circle member assisting you will ask for you to roll up your right sleeve. Why? Because there, in a small purple square on your forearm, is your ID code. Much like a modern-day QR code, the randomized pattern of squares and shading identifies you to any appliance, door, or other feature of the Nebula Station as an active crew member. It also identifies you as someone with (or without) clearance to enter certain areas, such as your own bunk, the captains' quarters, or the brig. The code is a semi-permanent tattoo, intended to last three months' time, after which point you'll be issued a new one by ship medical staff. Please don't try to wash it off. Your arrival guide — along with your housing assignment, working schedule, and any other noteworthy pieces of information — can be found in your Galactic Exploration-issued tablet. Approximately 20 cms by 13 cms of aluminum alloy and hologlass, the tablet is admittedly not the most exciting thing to hold. However, it is extremely useful — and extremely pricey to replace. So don't lose it! Or break it! ("Or spill coffee on it," one Circle member might guiltily add. Odds are good it's happened before.) Once you've received your tablet, you're free to roam the ship. There's a lot to see ... where will you go? ◆ The Housing Bay is a popular first-stop for many new arrivals. As many new faces come in alone and without any connections aboard, it's Nebula tradition for new arrivals to be assigned an empty bunk in one of the Quad Rooms aboard. Like the name suggests, these rooms feature two full-size bunk beds and a small closet space per person, offering adequate sleeping space for four people ... but not much else. You might want to introduce yourself to your new roommates, or at the very least, you might want to claim your bunk. Not feeling the shared spaces vibe? There are a limited number of single, double, and triple rooms available aboard the Nebula, and if you're particularly charming, you might be able to convince the Circle staff to help you change your assignment! ◆ Not in the mood to catch any more Z's? That's okay! The Mess Hall is available for you any time of day, with a wide variety of dining options on-hand to suit your needs. There aren't any chefs, and no one will be around to bus your table, but you'll probably find you don't need them... much. • For those that prefer an easy approach, consider the replicators on the eastern wall of the hall! These can recreate (to... mostly successful ends) any food or drink you can think of. It might not be exactly what you had in mind, but is McDonald's coffee really that different from some single origin Nicaraguan dark roast? Probably not... right? • For those that like to get their hands dirty, the western wall features a small number of system kitchens, where adventurous chefs or the very bored can whip up dishes to their hearts' content. Just like your own personal episode of Chopped, there are both fridges and pantry shelves available with staple ingredients, as well as some strange intergalactic flavors to experiment with, but anything specific might require you to try your luck with the replicators. Have fun! Try not to catch anything on fire! ◆ In the mood for something a little more adventurous? No problem. There's always the Holodeck. Here, you can try your hands at a variety of programmed entertainment. Need to brush up on your skills? Try VR combat training, with options to practice in your choice of atmosphere and gravitational pull, or a more traditional shooting range with an AI coach to provide feedback after each shot. Looking for escape, not effort? Consider a fully-immersive holo travel session, with destinations from Alcatraz to Zulu available to visit for as long as you'd like to stay. The smallest holodeck stations can be utilized by solo visitors, with larger conference room-style stations available for groups up to 10.

first mission. Getting settled — and getting acquainted — is only the beginning. By the beginning of your second week aboard the Nebula, you'll begin to notice the atmosphere (figuratively speaking; the air's still perfectly breathable) begin to shift. No longer in welcome mode, the staff is instead resuming preparations for the next Station Mission. As a neutral party in galactic politics, the Exploration's various ships and manned stations can be hired for a wide variety of purposes. Some are admittedly fairly monotonous or even boring — requests from distant ruling bodies to collect materials and supplies from their satellite planets or to deliver goods to colonies on the far end of an asteroid belt, for example. Others are exciting, but unfortunately poorly paying — such as a request from a well-known galactic events planner for warm bodies to fill up their next big outdoor festival, where having fun is part of the job but a paycheck might not be. And then there are the morally grey jobs, the ones that seem almost too straightforward upon first glance. The one coming up is a perfect example: a request from a small, but fairly well-off planet to provide hired security for a local mining organization. While not all aboard the Nebula are required to participate in a Station Mission, the main station will be docked in orbit above planet for as long as it takes to complete (or completely fail) the job. Those that volunteer to take part are promised to be paid handsomely for their time and attention. Mission Debrief: ◆ According to the ruling body, a band of guerrilla fighters from a recently independent former colony has arrived within the last few weeks, and their presence has created conflict that makes many of the workers feel unsafe traveling to their posts. While the local police force and government representatives have tried to resolve the situation, it has only led to increasing violence and bloodshed against the planet's own citizens. It's an unfortunate reality that the guerrilla fighters will need to be escorted off-planet — and while the ruling body certainly hopes this can be done without bloodshed, they've offered full immunity for any unfortunate fallout. ◆ But is it that straightforward? Can it be? It won't take any prospective attendees long to research the political atmosphere of the planet — or to discover that the mining organization and its employees are often rumored to be a polite front for a history of enslavement, with everyone from political prisoners to captured enemy forces and even debtors and petty criminals put to work in dangerous conditions. The recent independence of the local colony can be researched too, and those that choose to look into it will find evidence of a battle-weary but determined group that fought tooth and nail to evict unjust slaveowners from their homes. ◆ Those that opt to head down to the surface will have a few choices. Do you obey the request of your employer, the local government, despite the rumors and evidence that might paint them in an unjust light? Do you disobey it entirely, choosing to lend your body and mind to the guerilla forces fighting back against enslavement and cruelty? Or do you opt for something else altogether, a truly neutral third party simply taking advantage of the conflict for your own personal gain? Officially speaking, the Exploration only recognizes actions taken as authorized by the mission brief, but so long as you can find your way back to the shuttle at the end of it all, no one's likely to be any the wiser...

nebula network. Is there Facebook in space? Tinder? Instagram? Likely not, given the wide variety of species and cultures to be found amidst the stars, but where there is man (or humanoid creatures), there's communication. Aboard the Nebula, that communication can be found via the shipnet, or the local network. You'll have the opportunity to select a username of your choice — anything from @apple to @zenon.the.zequel is welcome. Just keep in mind you won't be able to change it without approval from a Station Master, so try to pick something at least somewhat understandable! As for content? The starry sky's the limit! Text, still picture, video, and audio are all supported.

notes & information Zetus Lapetus, y'all! Welcome to our interest check and tentative first test drive. As you'll probably notice if you opt to navigate your way around this comm or the posting journal, this is very much a work in progress. As such, everything is very much in a state of flux — so we're open to your questions, suggestions, comments, concerns, generalized thoughts, and everything else you might want to share with us! We've got a top level below for questions, and we absolutely look forward to answering them for you. If the answer we give doesn't jive with you, let's talk about it! Come back with alternatives, and who knows, we might take you up on them.

Comments

[forthespiders]

[If she noticed the drop in tone, she is doing a good job of not addressing it...]

Of course! Have you not heard of the human child that came to visit us in Underground? No? Ohh... that is a shame!

Suffice it is to say, they were quite taken and pleased with our product! I understand that they are quite the supporter of our cause I am very pleased to say!

Can we count on your patronage too, deary?

[goons]

You don't understand the first thing about being a Turk. Don't assume to know me.

[He had no shortage of loyalty. The things he's done, the terrible things he's done, for loyalty more than money were unforgivable in most instances. Unfortunately it's harder to go against his orders when all of his organization was stuck in the same situation of catering to Shinra. Although he did realize how it could have been taken that way.]

Ah, yes. I've read your file. I thought you...

[Well, there's no polite way to say this.] You know.

[goons]

Rude responds to a lot of the conversation with noncommittal sounds until he has himself situated a little better, looking around the room some until he turns to face his new roommate once more.

"I hope so. Then maybe we can put two beds in here rather than having them stacked." It seems like a reasonable desire, but he has no idea how many people will be joining them on the ship in total. Space might be tight. "Have you been off of your planet before?" The people in charge of his own world would rather focus on sucking the planet dry of resources than put any toward figuring out interplanetary travel.

Perhaps Quentin's world was different?

[proofofconcept]

"Ummm...yes, but not in like, a ship or space or anything," Quentin said, arranging his stuff as they talked -- some clothes in drawers, a few pictures on top of the dresser, things like that. "My planet is called, um, Earth. And there's a place called Fillory that you can get to through magic portals? I guess I'm actually not sure if it's on Earth or not, but the stars are different, so I've always assumed it wasn't. But things in Fillory don't really work the same way as they do in most...realms, that seems like a good word."

This was nice, this was comfortable enough. Just talking to someone, getting to know them, with very little opportunity to embarrass himself so far.

[goons]

For a while Rude watches Quentin move around and put things into drawers, and then realizes he may be staring too hard. So he lies back and stares up at the ceiling instead, getting used to his new bed for the foreseeable future.

"Earth? Interesting." It has a strange ring to it, but there were lots of people onboard from that ver place. Didn't seem too different than his world. "Mine has magic too. Not as much as it used to, but it's not uncommon." There's a moment he tries to make sense of the words, and when he turns onto his side to look over again, he has to ask.

"So Fillory is it's own country? Or kingdom, not sure what terminology is right here either?"

[proofofconcept]

"It's a kingdom, yeah," Quentin said with a nod. For whatever it was worth, he didn't seem put off by being watched. "But Fillory is also the name of the continent it's on and the world. The other country on the continent is called Loria, for example."

[evolved_not_extinct]

[Count? Ah, yes.]

Then on three.

[He linked hands.]

One. Two...

Re: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS

[runicfeathers]

Question regarding another journal I have (look, I'm too lazy to swap over and this flaming idiot bird has relevant q's for her too)

1. Regarding Pokemon chars, what's gonna be your policy on that? Can they keep them, or are they gonna have to stay in their world? (This could hinge on me potentially throwing a bratty teenager aka Gladion into this game)

2. Relevant now to this Phoenix. I see in other comments you have a "?" surrounding magic and the like, but I have my own about that. If a character (this one) possesses transformational powers, could they keep them at fullest when on said station? Willow can turn into any bird as well as her true form of a phoenix and ofc she'd be smart enough not to be gotdang fire chicken on the station, but may want to literally spread her wings as something say... a cockatoo for example.

mish

[barberian]

Admittedly, Yasha hadn't thought too much about the specifics of the task they'd been set. There will always people who have jobs they need doing for coin, and she's good at doing what she's told to do in order to get that. The muscle is standard pricing; personal opinions cost extra.

"... I don't know."

A job is a job is a job, but Yasha also knows all too well the feeling of being enslaved. The thought of helping to further such a blight doesn't sit well with her. Thankfully, they both seem to be in a position to be able to do something about it. She, like him, has her broadsword strapped to her back in plain sight of anybody who might be thinking of trying something.

"But it sounds like you think that we are."

[jengohshit]

Vax sighed. "I think..." He trailed off, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. "I think they're trying awfully hard to show us that everything is fine. That doesn't happen if things are actually fine."

Vax didn't think any of his experiences at all compared to real slavery. But he'd technically been a slave (for like, a few days) and more than that, he'd had to live life knowing he was at someone else's beck and call, that he didn't have his own choices to make. The thought that he might be doing that to someone else made his stomach clench.

[lizardtits]

In a few hyper-specific situations, maybe, but the cost of having to lug around whatever 'adaptations' needed for space travel outweighs the possible convenience it might provide. Having an outfit you can take on and off as needed is a lot more efficient and involves less needles and ethical concerns.

[semicharmed]

Honestly, Matt doesn't have any of the terminology down. Galactic Exploration, Nebula Station, the Station, the Circle. So many definite articles.

What Matt does know is that Annabelle's smile is absolutely irresistible. Some people snark if your friends all jumped off a bridge, would you jump off too? And to them Matt would say, yes, obviously, depending on the height of the bridge and if they're convincing.

"Annabelle," he says. In a kingdom by the sea. He smiles back. "Matt. It's good to meet you. I've uh, gotta be clear, though ... when I said 'something like,' that's because I don't exactly have a solid concept yet. This is kind of a fact-finding mission."

[barberian]

"... I think you're right about that."

Now that she's watching beyond processing the job that they're supposed to be doing; now that she's thinking back to the people that hired them both, how they framed the situation. It does all seem like a front. Fuck. Well, now that they've noticed, they're going to have to do something about it. Yasha reaches casually back toward her sword. She's been waiting to fight somebody all afternoon.

"We should fix it."

[jengohshit]

"Whoa, hey," he said, pushing on her arm as the sword started to come out, trying to prevent her from drawing it more without losing a hand to it. "We should, we should," he agreed quickly. "But we need a plan, we can't just go in swinging somewhere. Or if we're going to, I should at least sneak in for some recon so we know what we're walking into." Sneaking into dangerous places to spy was definitely his specialty and had never gone wrong for him before.

[semicharmed]

[ A clawed handclasp was a new sensation for Matt. He lingered with interest on the texture of Big Red's skin, the rasp of his claws--

Until the arm-wrestling jostled him out of those thoughts.

So, depending on how seriously Durant intended to take things, this contest was going to end up somewhere between "over quickly and emphatically" and "yikes, that's tragic." Matt wouldn't mind, of course--he knew the risks, etcetera. ]

[evolved_not_extinct]

[Durant opted for the emphasis, clasping on three and putting on the pressure until the human hand met the tabletop. He wagered breaking the arm of a stranger that meant no harm was very sportsmanlike.

However, he was still buzzing.]

Oho... This is precisely like the lightning! The skin buzzes, the heart races...! But it's not as tingly.

[He went to wipe off his face. The blue arm shifted and twisted into a simple tentacle that absorbed the foam on contact.]

I like the fluffy top. Like a beer... but these machines make shitty beer.

[chimermaid]

[Aaaand there it is. There it ALWAYS is.]

Why does it feel I can't talk about biological alteration with someone talking about it like it's inherently unethical?

It's not as though I'm doing it to people against their will.

[chimermaid]

Perhaps. But we're also impressed by methods just as much as results.

[Perfect. So that's how how it worked with her; just a matter of... negotiations. As always- and especially in unfamiliar territory- one had to know their audience. Not everyone had an appreciation for this sort of thing on scientific merit, after all.

Though she did have to hold her tongue to avoid boasting about how plenty of her colleagues had begun their careers as 'test subjects'.]

Or, to put it plainly... all of this-- [A broad gesture to the coordinated machinations of arachnid kitchenworkers.] --is a selling point.

[A pointed, conciliatory step back, further out of the way.]

Surely it does no harm to feed my fascination as well as my appetite.

[semicharmed]

[ So Matt has heard of the Underground, but it's from his time studying abroad in London so he's mostly assuming she normally lives in a subway system. ]

Ah, well ... sure, I'd love to.

[ It can't be that expensive, can it? ]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt exhaled with a whoof as his hand and his forearm hit the counter. He looked up, laughing. ]

Let me know if you do start getting tingles.

[ He was about to say something else, possibly about how thoroughly Durant had gotten him, but then, uh. Tentacle. Matt was immediately, deeply, irrevocably distracted. ]

I at least ... haven't been able to get the exact beer I want ...

[ A genteel pause. ]

Sorry, can your arm change shape?

[evolved_not_extinct]

Doctor Roussette's finest creation, No. 31.

[He raised the limb again, and eased the forearm to flatten into something rectangular. Along the edges, small ever-moving serrated edges made of little teeth and beaks formed, a twisted blend of jellyfish slime creature and chainsaw. Durant peered over the entity with casual interest.]

Whatever weapon I need, in exchange for the blood it takes from me at the shoulder.

[He reached over and eased up his half-cloak. Over the stump of his shoulder was more of that blue, and more intricate veins twisted and looped to connect them.]

Hell of a woman. What will she think of next?

[forthespiders]

Now now! You can't have something for nothing you know, deary~ ahuhuhu

[She's pleased at his enthusiasm, though!]

Ordinarily a pastry would be 11 gold, my dear. But seeing as we're going to a new territory...

Hmm... 11 credits will suffice.

[Uh, does anybody even HAVE that many?]

[forthespiders]

[Ohh~ Now there were a lot of very pleasant sounding things in there! But, hmn... could she trust this nerd? Her intuition was saying no, and it wasn't as though she was a PAYING customer. And, really, a scientist is just three letters away from being an "insect."]

[The spider girl, draws her silence long and hard, her eyes blinking into hers in pointed suspicion.]

How can I be sure that you're not spinning a web of lies? I would like to see some capital, first.

[semicharmed]

[ Oooookay, Jamison. Really look within yourself here and try not to come off as a bumbling planet-bound hick.

That morphology was really morphing. Matt's self-admonishments could only help so much in the face of such an unprecedented phenomenon. ]

That sounds like a hell of a trade-off.

[ Matt frowned. ]

Where I come from, that kind of experimentation on a sentient person would be, like, wildly unethical. Also impossible. [ Half a beat. ] Though I guess there's a lot the government doesn't tell us.

[semicharmed]

[ Hell, Matt sure doesn't. He pats down his pockets, as though he's hoping to shake out some extra digital currency, and winces. ]

Eleven.

Uh ...

I'd need to take another look at my sign-on agreement, but that might be a little steep for me at the moment. [ A pause. ] Could you put me on a payment plan?

[ He does not for a second assume this is price-gouging, because of how focused he is on Being Culturally Competent. She's a spider, this is spider-themed-and-or-based food, Matt assumes it's of ethnic and cultural significance to her. ]