Commander Shepard made the ultimate sacrifice to [red energy]DESTROY [/red energy] the Reapers. Eight years later, the survivors of the war seek to put the galaxy back together.
Uncertain whether she is being made fun of, Hestia responds with a generic, all-purpose teenage glare and a sullen silence, a tiny huff thrown in for seasoning.
Grace raises her drink and gives a mock salute.
"I'm sure it'll be a pleasure serving with you... ma'am."
Hestia turns her glower on Grace for a moment, then nods abruptly. Straightening, she folds her arms and skewers the volus with a steely glare.
"We all seem to be on board. You heard Gir's question. We also need to examine tbe ship and vet her crew and equipment. Gir, Dern - you are experienced travelers. Review the dossiers and decide on our first destination. Grace, you help me check out the ship and crew. What's her name and where is she docked? No sense wasting time"
Leadership:4d3 - 8 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3, 1, 3) - 8 + 3 = 4
The girl's transformation from sulking teen to all-business organizer is rather surprising, even if not everyone agrees with her orders nor with her taking charge.
Hestia turns her glower on Grace for a moment, then nods abruptly. Straightening, she folds her arms and skewers the volus with a steely glare.
"We all seem to be on board. You heard Gir's question. We also need to examine tbe ship and vet her crew and equipment. Gir, Dern - you are experienced travelers. Review the dossiers and decide on our first destination. Grace, you help me check out the ship and crew. What's her name and where is she docked? No sense wasting time"
"I have no ongoing contracts at the moment, so I am certainly available. And this assignment is... intriguing," Dern says. "I am interested in seeing the ship and these dossiers as well."
The volus tosses back another tall glass of water, shudders as if it were a shot of the most potent alcohol, and says, "Then we are in volus gasp agreement. I cannot simply give you the dossiers personally, they are in the computer banks volus gasp of the Dolphin, the transport that you will be using for this mission. It is crewed with standard volus gasp C-Def personnel, so nothing will be out of the ordinary, even if things get heated while you are on "shore leave". The captain is aware volus gasp of your true purposes, but noone else on the crew. You will have three hours before you have to report to volus gasp Captain Arpin. Please, get changed, enjoy some apertifs, and then go make sure the universe volus gasp remains as safe as most people think it is."
"The Dolphin, you say? Are those not the semi-sentient aquatic beings of Earth? Why name a ship after a creature which cannot operate it?" Dern muses. It can be hard to tell whether he is genuinely curious or being rhetorical.
"I trust all of the details will be in the files, so I will not ask now. Will we have a communication link to be in contact as situations develop?"
"And who do we report to? You?" Hestia somehow manages to pack a metric ton of scorn into the question, though she expects that accomplishment to go unappreciated by the non-humans. Despite having common verbal communication between sentient races, it took a real xenolinguist to pick up nonverbal cues.
"Just asking. It's important to know. I mean, C-Def will know, but we might need to report to "Mr. Von" here, or the Shadow Broker, or the Consort, or somebody else designated, right? Kind of an off-the-books transaction?" Hestia sounds innocent and somewhat hurt by the rebuff. "Might be stuff we find that C-Def doesn't need to know about, too. So if we have to touch base with somebody at the Citadel between missions, we need to be able to contact them. That might be kinda what Dern is asking, too. I'm not sure."
She opens her omni-tool and starts tapping through dossiers, humming a tuneless little tune. "This cloak and dagger stuff could be fun!"
"The Dolphin, you say? Are those not the semi-sentient aquatic beings of Earth? Why name a ship after a creature which cannot operate it?" Dern muses. It can be hard to tell whether he is genuinely curious or being rhetorical.
"I trust all of the details will be in the files, so I will not ask now. Will we have a communication link to be in contact as situations develop?"
"Yes, volus gasp I will be available via a special comm link in the captains quarters."
Quote:
"And who do we report to? You?" Hestia somehow manages to pack a metric ton of scorn into the question, though she expects that accomplishment to go unappreciated by the non-humans. Despite having common verbal communication between sentient races, it took a real xenolinguist to pick up nonverbal cues.
"actually, you will be reporting to volus gasp Captain Arpin, as you are indeed a member of his crew. Your tasks on the ship itself will be volus gasp minor- the cfew knows that relay inspection teams are the luckless sorts who go to work when they are on shore leave. You will communicate with me only immediately before and after investigating cerberus sites."
Hestia seems deflated by the ordinary chain of command. "Yeah, let's get to the docking bay. We need to claim cabins before the good ones are all gone. Might be a good time to go shopping if you need some relay inspection equipmentm," she adds dryly, "I might stop and pick up a model of the Dolphin. I try to get a model of every ship type I'm on."
Gir decided to drop the query about whether there was someone in particular the Shadow Broker was keeping an eye out for. He was probably being paranoid, and no one else seemed concerned when Barla Von glossed over the question.
Who is that masked DM? wrote:
"actually, you will be reporting to volus gasp Captain Arpin, as you are indeed a member of his crew. Your tasks on the ship itself will be volus gasp minor- the cfew knows that relay inspection teams are the luckless sorts who go to work when they are on shore leave. You will communicate with me only immediately before and after investigating cerberus sites."
"Then, it is the captain who will be deciding the order in which the sites will be dealt with? And, as C-Def personnel, C-Def will be supplying the Dolphin with whatever equipment we would need for "relay inspection" ahead of time?"
Assuming satisfactory answers to his queries, Gir will nod in agreement with Zinnius' and Hestia's suggestion to move, and will make to leave.
The volus will salute you with a raised glass of water before you go.
volus gasp "Please, change into standard C-Def attire before you go."
Barla Von presses a button on the bar and a panel in the room moves up, revealing perfect, form fitting outfits- the same as C-Sex save they have red piping on the shoulders- a subtle but real difference.
"The Dolphin is waiting at Port number 224. Do be careful."
Dern shrugs and takes the proffered garb and begins disrobing, heedless of any embarrassment others may experience at the display of his alien anatomy.
volus gasp "Please, change into standard C-Def attire before you go."
Stifling a giggle at Dern's abrupt disrobement, Grace inquires of Barla Von--
"I take it there's somewhere we're supposed to go and change into these uniforms? As in, not right here? Unless you wanted to *inspect*, of course..."
She pauses to stare blankly at a potted plant for a few seconds before snapping back into focus.
"Either way, we should get moving soon. I can't wait to see what kind of ship we've been set up with! I wonder if it's one of those new Arcturus-class frigates the Alliance has been using."
volus gasp "Please, change into standard C-Def attire before you go."
Stifling a giggle at Dern's abrupt disrobement, Grace inquires of Barla Von--
"I take it there's somewhere we're supposed to go and change into these uniforms? As in, not right here? Unless you wanted to *inspect*, of course..."
She pauses to stare blankly at a potted plant for a few seconds before snapping back into focus.
"Either way, we should get moving soon. I can't wait to see what kind of ship we've been set up with! I wonder if it's one of those new Arcturus-class frigates the Alliance has been using."
Even the seemingly unflappable Barla Von is quieted by Zinnius' sudden change. He nods towards Grace, and presses a button that causes the bar to recede, and a half dozen wedged panels to rise in the room, creating a number of areas to change clothes in privacy.
Shooting Grace a grateful look, Hestia quickly grabs the attire sized for her and hastily retreats into the farthest and most secluded changing area.
She returns to the common area a few minutes later carrying her cast-off clothing cleverly bundled into a kind of self-shoulder bag slung by her hip. The form-fitting uniform reveals the figure of a human female who has either won a genetic lottery or been engineered for some ideals of near-perfection. Her similar facial beauty is marred by her expression of stony embarassment with a soupçon of hauteur as she avoids looking at the faces of anybody gathered there (and definitely avoids the sight of anyone changing in the common area).
"Hurry up. I'm with Grace -- can't wait to see our ship." She tugs casually at the wristbands of the uniform, not at all concealing her nervousness as she doubtless intended.
"Ah. Modesty with regard to public nudity. My apologies," Dern offers sincerely. "I, too, see no reason to delay." When all are ready, he will proceed with the others to the ship,
With everyone changed into C-Def attire, your omni tools chime with the location of port 224. It is a bit of a trip to the port, with enough time for sight seeing and other minutiae. But the most impressive sight of all is that of the Dolphin itself- a ship that gives some pause, for the crisp lines, spartan exterior, and familiar bearing of the ship clearly indicate that underneath the red paint and occasional stretch of new paneling this is a repurposed Cerberus frigate! A strange sight that evokes some feelings in onlookers, especially as it seems there is a salarian C-Def official standing at ease at the entry to the ship, checking the identifications of all who wish to come aboard. A pair of C-sec beat officers watch the people boarding with only some interest, keeping a closer eye on the onlookers who are watching the arriving and departing ships with interest. There is a particularly loud child asking his perhaps too patient father which ship belongs to Commander Shepard, which has started a debate among a few about whether or not Shepard is dead or alive.
Grabbing the C-Def overcoat which, he assumes, must be their answer to Quarians who join their ranks, Gir takes a moment to look the garment over. Quickly placing it on as the others make to leave, he begins messing about with his omni-tool, and his environ suit slowly changes colour to match it.
Spoiler:
Deceit:4d3 - 8 + 3 ⇒ (1, 2, 1, 1) - 8 + 3 = 0
As Deceit covers disguises, I thought it seemed appropriate to use for attempting to match his armour's cosmetic look to the C-Def's overcoat. Also, I thought, since the camouflage modification on armour works by modifying pigmentation to match surrounds, it didn't seem unreasonable that it could also be used to change the colour of his armour in general. If you think it appropriate/necessary, I don't mind spending a FATE point on this to make it a Declaration, per page 172 of the book.
As they move on towards Port 224, and the Dolphin, Gir continues to tap away at his omni-tool, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.
Spoiler:
Unlike the others, who have histories of serving within military structures, Gir probably wouldn't be as familiar with lingo, ranks, proper procedures, and such. There's also been a few new names dropped. So Gir tries to research Barla Von, Captain Arpin, The Dolphin, and C-Def ranking structures and procedural documents while in transit to the Dolphin.
This is also to cover up that I don't know military rankings. :P Is there an implicit command structure inferred from Sergeant, Officer and Specialist?
Yes, please. Dungeon Master Player 15/Dungeon Master 13/Monk 2(I'm out of practice!)
Gir'Rimas nar Mesa wrote:
Grabbing the C-Def overcoat which, he assumes, must be their answer to Quarians who join their ranks, Gir takes a moment to look the garment over. Quickly placing it on as the others make to leave, he begins messing about with his omni-tool, and his environ suit slowly changes colour to match it.
** spoiler omitted **
As they move on towards Port 224, and the Dolphin, Gir continues to tap away at his omni-tool, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.
** spoiler omitted **
1
Spoiler:
no need to roll - the overcoat has a nice package to adapt to the suit of the wearer.
2
Spoiler:
Barla Von is simply described as a mundane investor and financial advisor -his extranet page is quite dull.
Captain isayya Arpin is a member of C-Def and is indeed the captain of a C-Def ship called the Dolphin, but beyond that, you aren't able to find out more beyond that.
Officer would be the lowwest rank, followed by Specialists, who are only slightly above. Sergeant is the first real rank of consequence in C-Def- they can give orders to both Officers and Specialists, although depending on a Specialists speciality, their word can supercede even their Sergeants.
As they proceed to the docks, Dern muses to the others, "My engineering background makes me an obvious choice for the specialist, although officer is plausible as well. Who makes a convincing sergeant?" He appraises his companions.
As they proceed to the docks, Dern muses to the others, "My engineering background makes me an obvious choice for the specialist, although officer is plausible as well. Who makes a convincing sergeant?" He appraises his companions.
"I think Grace should be our sergeant," Hestia pipes up, after having been lost in thought for a bit, staring at the Dolphin, "She has significant combat experience. Dern and Gir make sense as specialists, leaving me to be the grunt." She smiles winningly.
"I think Grace should be our sergeant," Hestia pipes up, after having been lost in thought for a bit, staring at the Dolphin, "She has significant combat experience. Dern and Gir make sense as specialists, leaving me to be the grunt." She smiles winningly.
Grace looks from Dern to Hestia and back again.
"Are you sure? I mean, I only ever made it to corporal when I was in the Corps. I think I can do it, but we all have to agree on it first."
Glancing up from his distraction, Gir added his two creds.
"I agree with Hestia. Grace, your and Zinnius' experience make you the best candidates for the higher ranks in our group. And I would consider Zinnius as more of a Specialist between you both. That would leave you as our Sergeant, and me and Hestia as our Officers."
Having said his piece, Gir's focus returns to his omni-tool, and whatever he was working away at on it.
Possibly not being familiar with the class of frigate the Dolphin is, Gir attempts to research it, and whatever history this particular vessel may have.
"What about that one daddy? Is that the Shepship?" The child's voice is a mixture of whine and genuine interest, and his finger points at the Dolphin.
"No, son that's a Cerb- ah, C-Def Heavy Frigate. Shepard isn't on that ship, it is slated to be checking on mass effect relays somewhere far, far away. Hopefully."
The child's face screws up in confusion at his father's apprehension, and conversation in the mixed race group- the human child and father seem to be waiting for a transport alongside a pair of turians, an elcor (!) and a quarian- switches from Shephard to hushed whispers about Cerberus- and Tartarus. The C-Sec officers stand at firmer attention. A lone human kid wearing an N7 shirt standing off to the side sneers at the ship even as he looks at the approaching C-Def officers with open admiration- it takes you all a moment to realize that his gaze includes you, too, as your group is behind a slightly larger group of C-Def officers looking to get on board. The queue to board is slowed by the quiet conversation between the salarian overseeing boarding and an asari wearing C-Def colors attempting to get on.
Glancing up from his distraction, Gir added his two creds.
"I agree with Hestia. Grace, your and Zinnius' experience make you the best candidates for the higher ranks in our group. And I would consider Zinnius as more of a Specialist between you both. That would leave you as our Sergeant, and me and Hestia as our Officers."
Having said his piece, Gir's focus returns to his omni-tool, and whatever he was working away at on it.
** spoiler omitted **
Spoiler:
The Dolphin does not seem to have much of a history. It is listed as "salvaged in battle of Grissom Academy"- which does ironically give it a tie to Shephard! You can share this information if you so wish, or keep it to yourself.
Dern approaches the C-Def officer checking in the crew. "Zinnius Dern, Specialist, reporting in." As he awaits a response, he assesses the reaction of the officers.
Hestia regards the aliens of the crew with a rueful smile. "See, Grace? Your being Sergeant is for the best," she tells the older woman. And at least one of us is in charge, nominally, she does not say aloud.
As Dern moves forward to check in, Hestia notes the sneering human boy. Already frayed by the day's events, the rope of her self-control gives. "What're you scowling at?" she asks, striding over to stand directly in front of him, "Got something against red ships?"
Dern approaches the C-Def officer checking in the crew. "Zinnius Dern, Specialist, reporting in." As he awaits a response, he assesses the reaction of the officers.
the salarian picks up his head in surprise. "Zinnius? The guy who saved that research station? Wow! Never thought I'd be serving alongside you. I'm Bezraa, also a Specialist, serving on this ship as quartermaster. According to what I have here you are part of the Relay Inspection Team, is that right?"
The C-sec officers survey the scene tightly, eyes moving in a slow scan. Noone seems ready to cause trouble,although one officer is keeping an extra eye on the argument brewing with Hestia.
Hestia regards the aliens of the crew with a rueful smile. "See, Grace? Your being Sergeant is for the best," she tells the older woman. And at least one of us is in charge, nominally, she does not say aloud.
As Dern moves forward to check in, Hestia notes the sneering human boy. Already frayed by the day's events, the rope of her self-control gives. "What're you scowling at?" she asks, striding over to stand directly in front of him, "Got something against red ships?"
upon realizing that you are talking to him, the boy goes into an attention so sloppy that your CO would have him doing pushups until his arms gave out.
"No, no ma'am, I am just of the opinion that, uh, former cerberus ships should be scuttled. You can't trust them. Ma'am."
"Like Shepard? Your precious hero was a Cerberus creation, too," Hestia pushes, though she doesn't view the delinquent as any kind of a real issue. Just a punk.
While Dern introduces himself to the C-Def officer, Grace takes the time to briefly set down her oversized luggage and join the conversation. She gives a brief salute, then smiles and extends a hand.
"I'm Grace Wright, the new sergeant on board. And I see you've met Specialist Dern. Over there, we've got..."
She trails off, noticing a potential altercation brewing over by the docking bay railing.
"Excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back."
Hestia Harper wrote:
As Dern moves forward to check in, Hestia notes the sneering human boy. Already frayed by the day's events, the rope of her self-control gives. "What're you scowling at?" she asks, striding over to stand directly in front of him, "Got something against red ships?"
Who is that masked DM? wrote:
Upon realizing that you are talking to him, the boy goes into an attention so sloppy that your CO would have him doing pushups until his arms gave out.
"No, no ma'am, I am just of the opinion that, uh, former Cerberus ships should be scuttled. You can't trust them. Ma'am."
Hestia Harper wrote:
"Like Shepard? Your precious hero was a Cerberus creation, too," Hestia pushes, though she doesn't view the delinquent as any kind of a real issue. Just a punk.
Grace approaches the pair, her expression still friendly, but with a bit more steel in her posture than usual.
"Everything alright here, folks? I've heard there's some sort of problem with the nature of our assigned vessel. I'm sure we can all work this out, though-- we're all on the same team here, right?"
"You would expect so, Sarge, but this guy says Shepard can't be trusted. I'm not sure exactly whose team he's on." She glares at the N7 shirt. "I should tear that thing off of him."
The dual pronged assault would make most wither, but somehow puts steel in this one's spine. He stands a bit straighter, his attention becoming less of an embarrassment. "Shepard is a hero ma'am, but she was alliance long before she got duped into working for Cerberus. I don't buy that 'coming back from the dead' story. C-Def deserves top of the line equipment, not cast offs. Ma'am. Ma'ams. Uh, sargent ma'am."
"You don't buy the coming back from the dead story? I suppose you don't buy that Cerberus fought off the Reapers while everyone else sat on their thumbs? You don't get to pick and choose history to suit your own likes and dislikes, son." It seems an odd appellation for someone barely younger than she. Hestia shrugs at Grace and addresses her commander. "Can't fix stupid. Sir." She follows Dern towards the gate.
"You would expect so, Sarge, but this guy says Shepard can't be trusted. I'm not sure exactly whose team he's on." She glares at the N7 shirt. "I should tear that thing off of him."
Grace raises a hand, as if to lower the volume of the conversation, addressing the pair.
"Like I said, we're all on the same team now. There's no need to get vexed over a turn of phrase. I'm sure that's not what the lad meant, is it?"
Who is that masked DM? wrote:
The dual pronged assault would make most wither, but somehow puts steel in this one's spine. He stands a bit straighter, his attention becoming less of an embarrassment. "Shepard is a hero ma'am, but she was Alliance long before she got duped into working for Cerberus. I don't buy that 'coming back from the dead' story. C-Def deserves top of the line equipment, not cast offs. Ma'am. Ma'ams. Uh, sergeant ma'am."
"I don't know about her coming back from the dead, but we all owe Commander Shepard a great deal. I was fresh out of jump school when the geth invaded. Without her and Admiral Anderson and all the rest leading the charge, we wouldn't have had the resolve to push them back like we did. And a few years later, when the Reapers finally hit us..."
She trails off, pausing for a moment.
"The point is, it doesn't matter so much who she was than what she meant to all of us."
Her expression brightens, and she gestures to the Dolphin.
"We do need all the equipment we can get, though. The war's been over for a while now, and a good ship is a good ship. Doesn't matter if you chose a side during the war. Everyone's just regular folks now, alright?"
Hestia Harper wrote:
"You don't buy the coming back from the dead story? I suppose you don't buy that Cerberus fought off the Reapers while everyone else sat on their thumbs? You don't get to pick and choose history to suit your own likes and dislikes, son." It seems an odd appellation for someone barely younger than she. Hestia shrugs at Grace and addresses her commander. "Can't fix stupid. Sir." She follows Dern towards the gate.
Grace's face hardens for a brief moment, but her calm demeanor returns quickly as she follows Hestia toward the boarding platform. Once out of earshot of the boy by the railing, she rests a hand on the young officer's shoulder, speaking softly and quietly.
"If it's alright, I'd like to have a word in private once we're aboard." She gives a small smile. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble, if that's what you're wondering."
Hestia sighs, rolls her eyes, and sweeps her arm toward Dolphin's boarding gate with a tiny bow. "After you, gentlebeings," she murmurs, falling in behind the rest. She lingers a moment, eyes tracing the Dolphin's clean lines before she finally shows her credentials and boards.
Gir sighs, closing his omni-tool. Not as productive as he'd hoped, but he'd learned something at least. He looked over the frigate again, still lost in thought. If any people knew the importance of taking any salvage they could get, it was his, but still...
Zinnius Dern wrote:
As they proceed, Dern says to Gir, "Humans can be so excitable at times...
Drawn out of his musings, Gir glances between Zinnius and the returning Grace and Hestia.
"Certainly one word for them... though they have nothing on the Krogans in that regard."
Gir starts momentarily after the words escape his mouth, and only then checks his surrounds to make sure no actual Krogans were present. Confirming that the coast was clear, he eases his stance again.
"I'm looking forward to getting on board and moving again. Even if the vessel is... not ideal." Gir pauses for a moment, seemingly considering something, before continuing. "Ever served on a frigate this size? It dwarfs the Mesa."
Expecting complications, Gir waits for his "CO" to return and finishing checking-in before proceeding with his own credentials.
"What's wrong with Dolphin?" Hestia queries as she and Grace approach, "She's beautiful. Look at those lines." She regards the ship with a fond little smile.
Hestia looks back at the youth and shrugs at Gir. "I guess. You can't fix..." She hesitates, remembering the look on Grace's face. "...everything." she finishes lamely, with a quick, sidelong glance at Grace.
"What's wrong with Dolphin?" Hestia queries as she and Grace approach, "She's beautiful. Look at those lines." She regards the ship with a fond little smile.
"My posting during the war was on one of the older Iwo Jima-class Alliance heavy frigates. A bit bigger than this one, actually, but a bit rough around the edges. I've heard that Cerberus put a little bit more finesse into the interiors, though-- real leather seats, wood veneer paneling, tropical fish in the captain's cabin... I wonder what this one looks like on the inside, or if any of that stuff is still there."
"Probably stripped out. Alliance tends to strip down salvage to utilitarian levels. Cerberus did tend to build things right. It's one of the advantages a private company has over government. They can react more quickly when need be, without having to persuade governments all over the galaxy to support them. They can also put in features suitable to maintain morale without having to justify them to taxpayers, who might see such things as luxuries." Hestia shrugs. "Of course, as a corporation expands, it becomes just about as difficult to manage as a galaxy does to govern, leading to abuses and unauthorized actions everywhere, public and private sectors alike." She stops short, perhaps realizing that she's talking in a civilized fashion for longer than usual.
"That's a long way of saying the fish are probably gone. They were notoriously difficult to keep alive, anyway," she smirks.
"With any luck, they will be on the menu instead," Dern offers. While he says this dryly, his large eyes peek over at the rest of you to observe your reactions to his attempt at a joke.
