 |
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.
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nebulamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nebulamemes2020-04-21 01:04 pm
b~
[She had heard of them: stars. The ceiling in Waterfall was covered in the shiny stones that were supposed to look like these mesmerizing shards of light. But seeing the real thing... there was no comparison. Playfully she wanted to see how her web would refract the light and had made a net between two pairs of her hands. Just as she was seeing the glow dancing in her hands was she plowed through by a preoccupied dragonborn. With a squeak and a crash the two may find themselves caught in the spider's sticky strands.]
Well! A pleasure to make your acquaintance!! [The girl's tone was most definitely NOT pleased...]
no subject
It-- you?! What are you doing here, of all places?! Don't tell me you followed me into space!
[... she has issues with malicious arachnid-types back home. She might be getting her wires a bit crossed.]
no subject
Dearie, I can think of a thousand things I would much rather do than follow a nobody like you.
[Well, she was still pissed after all.]
Is your head so full of words and thoughts that you have already forgotten that you ran into me? *tsk* It is very rude to bump into others and take on such an accusatory tone.
I am finding myself becoming rather offended.
no subject
... shit. I'm. [auuuuughrg this hurts Izzy's pride to admit.] Got it wrong. I was thinking of somebody else that was hounding me for a while. Also conspiculusly arachnoid, but with much less... [Looking Muffet up and down.] Refined taste.
Or taste at all. [Anyway, she's going to try to untangle herself both physically and socially out of this situation, calming down and carefully cutting strands of silk with one of her claws.] My apologies for the confusion.
no subject
Flattery will get you everywhere, of course, but I do believe that this would require a certain degree of compensation. Would you not agree?
[Getting information of the other may be enough... but for right now her savvy businesswoman sense wants to let the offer dangle to see what tantalizing possibilities would be provided.]
no subject
Are you trying to shake me down? Is that what I'm hearing right now? [Fucking unbelievable.]
Like, ok, I get it. I ran into you, I'm sorry. But what you're asking here is the equivalent of insurance fraud. And I don't know if I'm willing to play ball.
..... besides, all of my stuff, besides my notes, is back in my room. So I ain't got anything for you at this exact moment.
no subject
[And a gesture
of goodwillof good faithof a marketing concession, Muffet quick as a wink pulled herself out of the web and was in the process of removing Izzy from hers. After all, what sort of spider gets stuck in her own web?] Incidentally, what is this "insurance fraud?" Or perhaps that, too, is some villainous enterprise that is best left for the darkest places where none shall reach?["Fraud" she knew, of course, it was the "insurance" part that was giving her pause.]
no subject
Guess I did. Sorry, that's just, y'know. Old scars. And I'd hardly want to get you involved in shady deals with shadier gods.
Insurance fraud... [How do you explain insurance fraud to somebody who might not know what either side of that word means?] The way to boil it down is "engineering yourself to be in an accident to recieve compensation, monitary or otherwise, from an innocent party". I think.
no subject
I don't believe I was doing that. Unless you are accusing me of purposefully standing at the deck of an observatory waiting for a random monster to come by and bump into me. [I mean... she has considered that one, but it wouldn't ultimately be very supportive of spiders in the long run...]
Now, at most I would say that it was asking for a little favor. [Extortion, in other words. And, yes, she was doing that.] But my goodness did you certainly take it the wrong way.
[Aaaaand free!]