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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."
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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nebulamemes2020-04-21 01:04 pm
Matt Jamison | OC
mess hall - a hipster prepares (food)
Matt spent approximately 36 minutes trying to be cool in space and not stick out like the ground-based bumpkin he is. Then he found the replicator.
At first he asked for basic stuff. Coffee. Mango sticky rice. And miraculously, in a manner that strains his understanding of matter and energy, it appeared. Matt's so thrilled he's forgotten to eat.
"Okay, okay okay okay, could you do like … as close as possible to a Honeybird Saison from 21st Amendment Brewery?"
There's a bit of a pause.
A pint glass of something beer-smelling appears, but the color is ... off. It's kind of a radioactive pink. Matt hovers indecisively, hand half-stretched to take the unfamiliar beverage.
To drink it, or not to drink it …?
mission - mine, all mine
Frankly, these people lost him at mining. Matt wasn't going to volunteer at all--he figured he'd stay on the station and keep getting the lay of the land--until he learned about the s-l-a-v-e-r-y.
Before going planetside, he asks the replicator for a few fresh Earth herbs, which he stuffs into his pockets. While they're all technically edible, Matt's plans for them are more arcane than gastronomic. He's not totally sure what he's going to do about this evil mining company slave situation? But he's got to do something.
Matt is lanky, floppy-haired, and possesses the big gentle eyes of someone who probably hasn't seen video game combat, let alone the real thing. That may explain why within minutes of landing and being given instructions, he's pulled some of those herbs from his pocket, whispered a few lines of something that sounds almost like a poem, and disappeared.
If you're good at magic, or you just have good hearing or perhaps a heightened sense of smell, you'll still be able to perceive him. Matt's charm was whipped up too hastily to cover all five senses--it just masks his body heat and visibility. He's sneaking off to the mine entrance; time to get some firsthand intel on these labor conditions.
Fine, so he won't be employee of the year. He's not son of the year either, so that maths out.
wildcard
[ Wilcard me! Aboard the ship, Matt can definitely be found stargazing out any available window, or in a quad room going "oh no there's only
onefour beds." Other scenarios are more than welcome.For more info on this helpful disaster creature, you can bop over here. ]
mess!
"Beer," she announces. A few strands of ashen hair flop over her forehead as she leans toward the machine, speaking slowly and a touch too loudly. Obediently, the replicator...replicates.
The next pint produced is a less alarming color, dark amber and frothy, but certainly nothing like a saison. But of course, unlearned in the ways of craft beer, the problem is solved as far as Ciri is concerned. Her free hand goes to her hip when she stands up straight again, tall enough to be of a height with Matt. "That's more like it." She turns to him with a satisfied grin that tugs on the faint scar near the corner of her mouth. "Sorry, you did want beer, didn't you?"
Re: mess!
"... Ah." Matt turns to face his new drinking buddy, an answering smile making his own lips quirk. He can't help it; she looks so pleased with herself. "I did, yeah. Thank you."
In the spirit of full disclosure, he adds, "Well, I was trying to see how specific it can get. It's done some really good regional dishes from my home planet." A wave encompasses the barely-touched sticky rice. "But this is--pretty far afield from what I was aiming for."
mission!
And she doesn’t take kindly to enslavement and cruelty.
So she slinks to the back of the group that had headed down to the planet, and when she does there’s a lanky, floppy-haired cutie of a guy who just... whispers something and DISPPEARS. Just disappears the way Jasper does sometimes. And she catches a whiff of... something familiar. It’s a serious case of déjà vu but she doesn’t have time for that because floppy-haired invisible guy is sneaking off to probably get into trouble.
And she’s not gonna let him do that ALONE.
It’s easy to put Unseen Presence (and she can thank her time in Fucktown for that little power and a couple others) into use, being all out of the way and not being looked at the way she is, so she does, creeping off after floppy haired invisible guy.
i think this is the best meet cute actually
In something of a lucky break, the security isn't as high-tech as the type of thing he's growing accustomed to aboard the space station. That makes sense, Matt realizes as he approaches: if they had the ability to run the place with military efficiency, they presumably wouldn't be outsourcing their security. People are filing into the mine, none of them particularly happy; Matt slips in at the end of the line and follows them.
It's only when the light from outdoors has fully given way to strung-up lamps that he really starts to ponder: What now?
^_^ let me know if this is okay
Okay.
Does he have a plan? She’s not sure he does. She doesn’t EITHER so she can’t really talk but she’s gonna have to do something and maybe they’d do better doing something together instead of fumbling around all on their own. It’s just a matter of getting him alone so they can talk instead of sneak.
They’re mostly alone right now, folks going about their business like normal and she’s just... gonna take advantage of that and of the little offshoot to the side. She’ll apologise later. Squaring her invisible shoulders she moves; it takes her s sec to actually FIND him but once she’s got her hands on him she’s gonna zoom them down that little offshoot.
“It’s okay! I’m not going to hurt you I’m from the station too!” she hisses rapid fire the moment they come to a stop, Unseen Presence coming to an end. Surprise? "You want to do something about the slave situation too, right?" Boy she hopes so because otherwise she mighta fucked up a little.
as mentioned elsewhere i love it and her
It's actually slightly worse than that? The sound is kind of like a swallowed squawk; it makes you think the word grelp even though that's not really a word. Matt gasps, his own invisibility spell fizzling away. (It's not designed to stand up against this kind of intense physical contact.)
His realizations happen in several stages: 1) Pretty girl 2) From the station??? 3) Question.
"I--I do," he admits. A frown. "Something like stopping it, or at least throwing a wrench in, just to be clear."
He's pretty sure they're on the same page. 'Do something about XYZ' is rarely pro-that-thing. And they can both turn invisible! That's fun.
they are the best and I love them so much. Matt is so cute!
Oh well. She’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. She’s got her floppy hair invisible sneaking buddy. And oh hey there, her floppy haired invisible sneaking buddy isn’t invisible anymore. Also she didn’t think anyone could actually make the sorta sound he made when she grabbed him.
He tells her that he is, and what he kind of has in mind, and she grins brightly at him. “Good. Me too. Let’s do it together.” A pause, because if you’re going to be sneaking into a mine to throw a wrench into a slaving operation introductions might be good. “I’m Annabelle.”
no subject
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."
mess!
[She is also very distrustful of the replicator -- but more as competition than for any real distrust of technology. That and the boy's caution means that a potential sale may be on the horizon!]
That is a fascinating color! But... ah, is that how it is supposed to come out, dearie?
no subject
Is a reaction Matt tries to stifle as soon as he realizes he's having it. Way to be provincial, Jamison. He turns his gaze to the midpoint of all the eyes--the center of his new acquaintance's face--and focuses on her question. ]
Uh. It is pretty fascinating. [ He smiles ruefully. ] But it's definitely not what I intended. Vanishingly few drinks where I'm from have that specific color.
Have you tried this thing yet? I think I could use some tips and tricks.
no subject
Frankly I don't see the point. Why rely on some empty husk of a machine to manufacture something? That strikes me as very bad economy. Furthermore, I cannot imagine that device would be capable of creating anything with any sort of finesse.
Incidentally, dearie, I do happen to start a little company that provides real food at affordable prices. Now now, I know you're thinking 'why pay when fabricated food is free,' but I can assure you that it is well worth the extra cost!
no subject
Okay, you raise a very interesting point. [ Uh-oh. ] What does "real" mean in this context?
Like, this-- [ He gestures towards his mostly untouched mango sticky rice. ] --looks and tastes like fruit and grain, and it's real in the sense that it's made of matter. But back where I'm from, "made of matter" generally doesn't cut it. We wanna know if our food is ethically sourced, if it's been genetically modified, that kind of thing.
So what's real to you?
no subject
Well, I am glad you asked! All of the food at Boulangerie d'Araignée is locally sourced and manufactured! It is fat-free, GMO-free, gluten-free, carbs-free, and calorie-free! And we make every dish with heart and soul! Boulangerie d'Araignée! Food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!
[Nailed it.]
no subject
Oh.
[ It has a falling sound to it, like a stone plopping into a pool of water. Matt rallies quickly, so as not to seem culturally insensitive: ] Ahhh, so, I'm not totally sure human beings can eat spiders? [ of spiders for spiders isnt that cannibalism ] I mean I guess we can eat locusts and grasshoppers and things, but I'm not ...
no subject
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?
no subject
Ah, well ... sure, I'd love to.
[ It can't be that expensive, can it? ]
no subject
[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?]
no subject
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. ]