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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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nebulamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nebulamemes2020-04-21 01:04 pm
no subject
I can meet you there shortly.
text → action
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[ True to his word, Angeal visits the Holodeck shortly after their brief conversation. He's been itching for a good match since he arrived at the Nebula but unfortunately, most of the folks here don't measure up.
He lingers by the entrance looking a bit different out of his usual uniform. He kept his Shinra uniform out of sheer habit if anything else but he's been wearing it less and less over the last few months. After all, he wouldn't dare align himself with Shinra anymore.
So he adopts the jeans and t-shirt look instead. Even though they're in the outer reaches of space, jeans are still popular. He kept his dog tags of course and the combat boots but there's nothing on his person to signify his allegiance with Shinra anymore. Black is in with him especially since he picked up a sleek black jacket before boarding the space station. While he lacks Genesis' impeccable sense of style, Angeal does well enough on his own. ]
action
Rude shrugs off the message, not unused to that sort of bluntness considering his job and the partners he's had in the past. Once he arrived at their arranged meeting place, he couldn't be sure which of the people preparing to train was his guy. He hadn't stopped wearing his signature Turks look so his black suit, tie, gloves dress shoes, and shades glasses were soundly in place as he approaches Angeal to ask if he's the one that agreed to meet.
Unfortunately he's able to get a good look at his face and it triggers his memories. They hadn't officially met, but he's seen files about the man. He was a SOLDIER and maybe sparring with him wasn't going to be the best option. Hopefully it was someone else he was looking for, but for now he can make small talk with a former Shinra associate.]
I thought I left Shinra behind me, but there are two too many SOLDIERS on this ship.
no subject
Shit. [ The ex-SOLDIER sighs as he pushes off the wall. ] Here I thought I was finally free of you bastards.
[ Despite still having a bone to pick with Shinra, he doesn't immediately go for the kill. Instead, the former soldier circles around his opponent like a hawk stalking its prey. ]
I should've known my luck would run out sooner than later.
no subject
Hm, "you bastards" is hardly accurate anymore. There's no Shinra here, and no Shinra means no Turks. Correct?
[While he tries to talk sense into the SOLDIER, he pivots to keep his eyes on Angeal as he circles. He knows what they're capable of and arguably doesn't stand a chance head on, so letting the guy get the jump on him wouldn't help his situation at all. Hopefully he'll see that Rude isn't truly a threat despite looking like one.]
Don't think we've formally met. Rude, and you are?
no subject
So without a paycheck, there's no loyalty? Good to know.
[ He keeps pacing for a moment, clearly trying to weigh out his options here. Attacking the Turk would most likely cause unnecessary trouble for him, a scenario Angeal doesn't want. He's done well to keep out of trouble up until now. ]
The name's Angeal. Angeal Hewley.
[ That's definitely a name that probably came up in a few reports. After all, he was one of the Firsts. ]
no subject
[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.