12-20-2006, 05:25 PM
12-20-2006, 06:10 PM
Ship Name: USSR Ptichka
Created by Sean Breen (M. Fnord)
Registry Number: WTF-023H
Base Hull: Soviet Buran-class space shuttle, vehicle #1.02
Drive Type: Speed (Pitch Field reactionless engine) (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Sandwich Interstellar Dungeon-Crawling Enterprises, LLC
Flag of Record: Soviet Air Force
Purpose: Research vessel
Launched: October 12, 2008
Crew:
* S. "Mal" Fnord (Captain)
* D. "KJ" DeRosia (Chief Engineer)
* E. Van Oorebeek (Co-Pilot)
* R. "Shad" Houben (Master-At-Arms)
* P. "Zib" Stewart (Mission Specialist 1)
* K. "Kat" Stewart (Mission Specialist 2)
* J. "Calc" Renken (Flight Attorney)
Supplementary Crew:
* Ptichka (AI, "living ship")
* Dee (AI, engineer's mate, quasi-mobile)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Beucephelus Complex: Ptichka is *very* particular about who gets to fly her. Anybody not on the crew who tries *touching* the flight controls is likely to get a nasty surprise.
* What Is It, Artoo? Despite having all the equipment necessary to generate a human voice, Ptichka prefers to vocalize *only* in birdsong, with text messaging as a backup. The crew have gotten pretty good at interpreting.
* Creeping Decor: The crew spaces are slowly being decorated with a combination of NASA Industrial and Russian Kitsch. Nothing seems to be able to stop the redecorating: painting, wallpaper, exorcism...
* Bones Of The Saints: Vehicle efficiency drops by 40% if the crew doesn't maintain the ship's shrine to the Holy Martyrs of Spaceflight on at least a weekly basis.
Known Crew Quirks:
* In Soviet Russia... Partly out of respect for the ship's origins, and (probably) partly due to cross-contamination, the crew tends to use Soviet rank and military terminology while "on duty." It hasn't descended to gratuitous Boris Badenov accents, yet.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Kandor City, Luna
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Ptichka is credited with manned landings on Triton, Nereid and Mercury, as well as the first human ship to approach the Tau Ceti (2009) and Epsilon Indi (2010) star systems.
* The crew earns money for upkeep and expenses primarily by making documentary films about their adventures. Films of note include Kingdom of the Sun; Lonely Planet: Ceres; On the Edge of Forever; Warlords of Mars.
* At the time of their launch, the crew had outstanding indictments for 10 counts of use of illegal materials, 7 federal weapons violations and one count of federal aggravated assault. All outstanding warrants were cleared by the blanket amnesty in the 2010 Treaty of KandorCon.
* The CBS made-for-TV movie about the Sandwich crew's acquisition and launch of Ptichka, "To Touch The Sky," was the highest-rated TV movie produced in 2009. None of Ptichka's crew ever saw a dime.
ETA: Retconning out an old in-joke; time to put the Explain Star to rest...---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
Created by Sean Breen (M. Fnord)
Registry Number: WTF-023H
Base Hull: Soviet Buran-class space shuttle, vehicle #1.02
Drive Type: Speed (Pitch Field reactionless engine) (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Sandwich Interstellar Dungeon-Crawling Enterprises, LLC
Flag of Record: Soviet Air Force
Purpose: Research vessel
Launched: October 12, 2008
Crew:
* S. "Mal" Fnord (Captain)
* D. "KJ" DeRosia (Chief Engineer)
* E. Van Oorebeek (Co-Pilot)
* R. "Shad" Houben (Master-At-Arms)
* P. "Zib" Stewart (Mission Specialist 1)
* K. "Kat" Stewart (Mission Specialist 2)
* J. "Calc" Renken (Flight Attorney)
Supplementary Crew:
* Ptichka (AI, "living ship")
* Dee (AI, engineer's mate, quasi-mobile)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Beucephelus Complex: Ptichka is *very* particular about who gets to fly her. Anybody not on the crew who tries *touching* the flight controls is likely to get a nasty surprise.
* What Is It, Artoo? Despite having all the equipment necessary to generate a human voice, Ptichka prefers to vocalize *only* in birdsong, with text messaging as a backup. The crew have gotten pretty good at interpreting.
* Creeping Decor: The crew spaces are slowly being decorated with a combination of NASA Industrial and Russian Kitsch. Nothing seems to be able to stop the redecorating: painting, wallpaper, exorcism...
* Bones Of The Saints: Vehicle efficiency drops by 40% if the crew doesn't maintain the ship's shrine to the Holy Martyrs of Spaceflight on at least a weekly basis.
Known Crew Quirks:
* In Soviet Russia... Partly out of respect for the ship's origins, and (probably) partly due to cross-contamination, the crew tends to use Soviet rank and military terminology while "on duty." It hasn't descended to gratuitous Boris Badenov accents, yet.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Kandor City, Luna
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Ptichka is credited with manned landings on Triton, Nereid and Mercury, as well as the first human ship to approach the Tau Ceti (2009) and Epsilon Indi (2010) star systems.
* The crew earns money for upkeep and expenses primarily by making documentary films about their adventures. Films of note include Kingdom of the Sun; Lonely Planet: Ceres; On the Edge of Forever; Warlords of Mars.
* At the time of their launch, the crew had outstanding indictments for 10 counts of use of illegal materials, 7 federal weapons violations and one count of federal aggravated assault. All outstanding warrants were cleared by the blanket amnesty in the 2010 Treaty of KandorCon.
* The CBS made-for-TV movie about the Sandwich crew's acquisition and launch of Ptichka, "To Touch The Sky," was the highest-rated TV movie produced in 2009. None of Ptichka's crew ever saw a dime.
ETA: Retconning out an old in-joke; time to put the Explain Star to rest...---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
12-20-2006, 08:11 PM
Ship Name: SS Uncertainty
Created by Griever
Registry Number: SEP-X-13
Base Hull: pocket cruiser
Drive Type: Acceleration/Speed (variable configuration Alcubierre Drive)
Owner of Record: SEBureau, by ways of Hermes Universal Delivery
Purpose: Private yacht, technology testbed, Trigon's prison
Launched: May 10, 2007
Crew:
* Katz Schrdinger (Capt.)
* Trigon (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* 'The Cat is Dead ... no, wait' - in a strange twist of fate, there seems to be cat occupying quarters aboard the ship. Katz has never seen it, Trigon has never seen it, but sometimes it meows. And sometimes it seems like somebody's ripping it apart for violin strings. Putting cat food and cream in the forward hold every few days seems to help in stopping the latter. Any and all attempts at manufacturing an automated dispenser have failed.
* 'Label - Occupant' - there have occasionally been signs of other quirks manifesting, but they hardly lasted over a day. It stopped once the energy sails were put into operation and Trigon Quickened. The general consensus is that he leaned on them until they knuckled under. On the other hand, the paintjob of the boat has been a uniform, cobalt blue ever since - a color the AI deeply despises.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Trigon - he's a quirk all by himself.
Faction: Non-aligned
Home Port: Nomadic, none registered
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* a 'malfunction' in the drive array had nearly catastrophic consequences, nearly resulting in a firestorm that would have caused considerable damages to local flora and fauna of Towra Point Nature Reserve, Botany Bay, Australia. Fortunately, the potential disaster was averted. Since then, the Captain has taken all possible precautions to make sure it could never happen again (most of these involved locking Trigon out of the control critical circuits when he's not on-board).
* was involved in an incident in the Indian Ocean involving 'daneside pirates. The immediate events remain unknown, however one may speculate that the visit and vacation at Hidden Asteroid a month afterwards was a direct result.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
Created by Griever
Registry Number: SEP-X-13
Base Hull: pocket cruiser
Drive Type: Acceleration/Speed (variable configuration Alcubierre Drive)
Owner of Record: SEBureau, by ways of Hermes Universal Delivery
Purpose: Private yacht, technology testbed, Trigon's prison
Launched: May 10, 2007
Crew:
* Katz Schrdinger (Capt.)
* Trigon (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* 'The Cat is Dead ... no, wait' - in a strange twist of fate, there seems to be cat occupying quarters aboard the ship. Katz has never seen it, Trigon has never seen it, but sometimes it meows. And sometimes it seems like somebody's ripping it apart for violin strings. Putting cat food and cream in the forward hold every few days seems to help in stopping the latter. Any and all attempts at manufacturing an automated dispenser have failed.
* 'Label - Occupant' - there have occasionally been signs of other quirks manifesting, but they hardly lasted over a day. It stopped once the energy sails were put into operation and Trigon Quickened. The general consensus is that he leaned on them until they knuckled under. On the other hand, the paintjob of the boat has been a uniform, cobalt blue ever since - a color the AI deeply despises.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Trigon - he's a quirk all by himself.
Faction: Non-aligned
Home Port: Nomadic, none registered
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* a 'malfunction' in the drive array had nearly catastrophic consequences, nearly resulting in a firestorm that would have caused considerable damages to local flora and fauna of Towra Point Nature Reserve, Botany Bay, Australia. Fortunately, the potential disaster was averted. Since then, the Captain has taken all possible precautions to make sure it could never happen again (most of these involved locking Trigon out of the control critical circuits when he's not on-board).
* was involved in an incident in the Indian Ocean involving 'daneside pirates. The immediate events remain unknown, however one may speculate that the visit and vacation at Hidden Asteroid a month afterwards was a direct result.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
12-20-2006, 08:44 PM
Ship Name: SS Pinafore
Created by Logan Goodhue (Foxboy)
Registry Number: QT-3-141516
Base Hull: 45 meter Luxury Yacht Pinnafarina
Drive Type: Speed (Warsie/Trekkie hyper/warp kludge) (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Captain J. Corcoran
Flag of Record: as Pinnafarina, Cayman Islands. Currently, United States of America
Purpose: Space Liner, Bounty Hunter/Privateer, Cargo
Launched: November 30, 2009, 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time
Crew:
* J. "Joe" or "Josie" Corcoran (Captain)
* Jane "Tabitha" or "Tabby" Doe (Translator, Morale Officer)
* A. "Alley" Dobbs (Quartermaster)
* T. "Tom" Dobbs (Master-At-Arms)
Supplementary Crew:
* Buttercup (Ship's AI)
* Blossom (Medbay AI)
* Bubbles (Ship's Seamstress AI)
* Toni (Captain Corcoran's Hardsuit/Spacesuit AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Opera Mad: Buttercup will only accept sung commands, preferably in verse. She will accept recitavo grudgingly.
* "What are you doing?' 'Coloring!": Bubbles runs the shipboard tailor, but to function properly she needs a new box of Crayola Crayons and 300 pages of coloring books a month. Fortunately, she doesn't mind repeated coloring books, but prefers "girly" ones and demands certain pages be placed on the refrigerator in the galley.
* Mother Knows best: Regardless of the actual diagnosis, Blossom will almost always prescribe chicken soup in addition to whatever medical treatment she is capable of providing. In fact, she will prescribe it to the perfectly healthy crewmates that bring the patients in.
* Knighty Knight: Toni is the resident AI in what was intended to be an Iron Man-style armor for a spacesuit. The utilization of too much 'wavium and Bubble Gum Crisis on the nearby DVD player caused her to reform as a BGC 2040-type hardsuit. She now is very particular about what forms she takes and what her pilot looks like. She gleefully assisted in Captain Corcoran's Biomod procedure. She communicates mainly through shifting her armor into different suit configurations, altering her color schemes, and text displays on her heads-up helmet screen.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Odd dietary needs: since all of the crew have had biomod procedures, they all have various quirky needs. The captain needs "English" cuisine, while all of the catgirls require a different flavor of Fanta soda.
Faction: Mostly Non-Aligned, but associated with the US Government through the recently acquired Letters of Marque and Reprisal. May join SEBureau at the Con
Home Port: Port Luna, Luna
Current Location: En route to Port Phobos from Port Luna
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Pinafore was previously the private yacht of a very big name in the Miami drug scene, Gervasio Faustino de Leon. Said drug lord is also a name in the Zwilnik scene.
* The shipboard library has one of the most extensive digital collections of nineteenth-through-twentieth century operettas in existence.
* The ship launched from Terra one minute before the most stringent anti-'wavium legislation was enacted in the United States.
* Toni won "Best Armor" at Kandor-Con's cosplay competition for her and Captain Corcoran's portrayal of Classic Nene Romanova, and Bubbles had sewn the first runner-up in Craftsmanship for a Neo-Queen Serenity Gown that was later part of an infamous bidding war among the Senshi fraction at later auction.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Created by Logan Goodhue (Foxboy)
Registry Number: QT-3-141516
Base Hull: 45 meter Luxury Yacht Pinnafarina
Drive Type: Speed (Warsie/Trekkie hyper/warp kludge) (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Captain J. Corcoran
Flag of Record: as Pinnafarina, Cayman Islands. Currently, United States of America
Purpose: Space Liner, Bounty Hunter/Privateer, Cargo
Launched: November 30, 2009, 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time
Crew:
* J. "Joe" or "Josie" Corcoran (Captain)
* Jane "Tabitha" or "Tabby" Doe (Translator, Morale Officer)
* A. "Alley" Dobbs (Quartermaster)
* T. "Tom" Dobbs (Master-At-Arms)
Supplementary Crew:
* Buttercup (Ship's AI)
* Blossom (Medbay AI)
* Bubbles (Ship's Seamstress AI)
* Toni (Captain Corcoran's Hardsuit/Spacesuit AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Opera Mad: Buttercup will only accept sung commands, preferably in verse. She will accept recitavo grudgingly.
* "What are you doing?' 'Coloring!": Bubbles runs the shipboard tailor, but to function properly she needs a new box of Crayola Crayons and 300 pages of coloring books a month. Fortunately, she doesn't mind repeated coloring books, but prefers "girly" ones and demands certain pages be placed on the refrigerator in the galley.
* Mother Knows best: Regardless of the actual diagnosis, Blossom will almost always prescribe chicken soup in addition to whatever medical treatment she is capable of providing. In fact, she will prescribe it to the perfectly healthy crewmates that bring the patients in.
* Knighty Knight: Toni is the resident AI in what was intended to be an Iron Man-style armor for a spacesuit. The utilization of too much 'wavium and Bubble Gum Crisis on the nearby DVD player caused her to reform as a BGC 2040-type hardsuit. She now is very particular about what forms she takes and what her pilot looks like. She gleefully assisted in Captain Corcoran's Biomod procedure. She communicates mainly through shifting her armor into different suit configurations, altering her color schemes, and text displays on her heads-up helmet screen.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Odd dietary needs: since all of the crew have had biomod procedures, they all have various quirky needs. The captain needs "English" cuisine, while all of the catgirls require a different flavor of Fanta soda.
Faction: Mostly Non-Aligned, but associated with the US Government through the recently acquired Letters of Marque and Reprisal. May join SEBureau at the Con
Home Port: Port Luna, Luna
Current Location: En route to Port Phobos from Port Luna
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Pinafore was previously the private yacht of a very big name in the Miami drug scene, Gervasio Faustino de Leon. Said drug lord is also a name in the Zwilnik scene.
* The shipboard library has one of the most extensive digital collections of nineteenth-through-twentieth century operettas in existence.
* The ship launched from Terra one minute before the most stringent anti-'wavium legislation was enacted in the United States.
* Toni won "Best Armor" at Kandor-Con's cosplay competition for her and Captain Corcoran's portrayal of Classic Nene Romanova, and Bubbles had sewn the first runner-up in Craftsmanship for a Neo-Queen Serenity Gown that was later part of an infamous bidding war among the Senshi fraction at later auction.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
12-20-2006, 11:24 PM
Ship Name: Galaxy Express 999
Created by Griever
Registry Number: HUD-H-001
Base Hull: Victorian Railways H Class Steam Locomotive
Drive Type: Speed (depends on number of cars and mass - anywhere from 0.1c with just the locomotive and tender to 0.02c when hauling heavy. Runs on alcohol).
Owner of Record: Hermes Universal Delivery
Purpose: Passenger and cargo transport
Launched: Oct 18, 2008
Crew:
* Maetel (Capt.)
Supplementary Crew:
* The Conductors (quasi-AI constructs)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Symbiosis - the well-being of the captain is directly proportionate to the well-being of the ship, and vice versa.
* Marty Who? - the Express, when hauling loads that are worth over half its maximum capacity, needs to accelerate to at least 88mph.
* Mascot Drive - the Drive has developed a fondness of Eucalyptus leaves, and a deep hatred for Foster's beer. So much that bringing the latter aboard is something that's strictly forbidden.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Symbiosis - see above.
* 'Induce Manners': whether it's a 'wave effect or just the sort of person she is, Maetel's presence makes people believe they are 'polite society' and nudges them to act accordingly. Unless they are actively hostile or otherwise preoccupied.
* Lookalike: is she just constantly cosplaying, or is it something more? Nobody really knows, but she manages it so well that the fact alone would have gotten her a BNF ranking if the fact that she's the Captain of the express hadn't.
Faction: Non-aligned (Hermes is less a faction and more a loose collection of individuals organized for mutual profit, despite being a corporate entity)
Home Port: Kingsford Smith International Spaceport, Sydney, Australia.
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* after an event when the Dread Pirate Hairlock attempted to liberate the 'fair Maetel' from this unseemly line of work, cargo and passenger stops at hardliner Matsumoto-jin ports are taken care of by worker-bees unless overseen by an SSX officer.
* featured in the Australian TV-documentary - To Fen, Perchance to Dream.
* like all 'retaining' HUD employees, the Captain and Crew are also shareholders. Or, in this case, the Captain is a shareholder.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
CattyNebulart
12-21-2006, 12:54 AM
Ship Name: Sol Bianca
Base Hull: HDMY Dannebrog
Drive Type: Speed
Owner of Record: The Danish Royal House
Purpose: Laboratory, Hospital Ship, Residence
Launched: October 27'th 2007
Crew:
The Professor (Leader)
Miyu
Catty Nebulart
Ryoko Asakura (Buisness manager)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* The navigational console will only do it's job when it has plenty of alckohol but it doesn't navigate well when drunk.
* The new engine causes radioactive spiders to spawn all over the place.
* The engine uses Mountain Dew Syrup as fuel.
* Visitors suspect the ships layout is changing when they are not looking, the crew hasn't noticed it. visitors also sometimes fall under the odd optical illusion that the inside is larger than the outside, and non-euclidian in general.
Faction: Non-aligned, SCIENCE! as the Professor would put it.
Status: ACTIVE
Description: An impressive ship, even though it looks somewhat different each time because the Professor never stops tinkering with it. The inside looks like a combination between a royal yacht and a mad scientist laboratory.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Base Hull: HDMY Dannebrog
Drive Type: Speed
Owner of Record: The Danish Royal House
Purpose: Laboratory, Hospital Ship, Residence
Launched: October 27'th 2007
Crew:
The Professor (Leader)
Miyu
Catty Nebulart
Ryoko Asakura (Buisness manager)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* The navigational console will only do it's job when it has plenty of alckohol but it doesn't navigate well when drunk.
* The new engine causes radioactive spiders to spawn all over the place.
* The engine uses Mountain Dew Syrup as fuel.
* Visitors suspect the ships layout is changing when they are not looking, the crew hasn't noticed it. visitors also sometimes fall under the odd optical illusion that the inside is larger than the outside, and non-euclidian in general.
Faction: Non-aligned, SCIENCE! as the Professor would put it.
Status: ACTIVE
Description: An impressive ship, even though it looks somewhat different each time because the Professor never stops tinkering with it. The inside looks like a combination between a royal yacht and a mad scientist laboratory.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
12-21-2006, 01:16 AM
(Edited as per recent developments)
Ship Name: SC Bullet Boy Express
Created By Benjamin Rhodes (BlackAeronaut)
Registry Number: C-Y4-14T3RZ
Base Hull: 1986 Volkswagon Jetta
Drive Type: Speed/Accelleration - 4 ion thruster/wheel motors, and 2 Handwaviumized Turbonique
Micro Turbo Thrusters.
Max Speed: 0.1c
Armaments: 2 Collapsable coilguns hidden behind headlights. Coil-gun ammunition is Hi-Ex rounds
with ceramic AP tips and ferric alloy discarding sabbots.
Owner of Record: Benjamin Rhodes
Flag of Record: The Republic of Texas (Defunct)
Purpose: Courier and light fright delivery as well as personal and racing vehicle
Crew:
Benjamin Rhodes (Capt.)
Gina (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
I AM THIS PLACE: Gina started out as a home-built
computer that, in a fit of dissatisfaction with it's performance, applied liberal amounts of gray handwavium to strategic locations. However, Gina did not
manifest until Ben hooked the computer into the Bullet Boy Express. Ben figures that Gina is a combination of the insipient AI in the computer and the spirit
of the Car.
Homicidal: Most guys take it very seriously when
someone does something to their car. Gina takes it more than just seriously when someone does something to her 'body' - she wants blood.
Hands Off: Gina will only let Ben, and no one else
pilot her. Conversly, she gets jealous when Ben pilots anything but her.
The more you scream...: If there is a passenger aboard
who is adverse to "hard manuevering", Gina will make the ride more and more intense, especially if they scream.
Home Port: The Island
Status: >>>ACTIVEINACTIVE
Ship Name: SC Bullet Boy Express
Created By Benjamin Rhodes (BlackAeronaut)
Registry Number: C-Y4-14T3RZ
Base Hull: 1986 Volkswagon Jetta
Drive Type: Speed/Accelleration - 4 ion thruster/wheel motors, and 2 Handwaviumized Turbonique
Micro Turbo Thrusters.
Max Speed: 0.1c
Armaments: 2 Collapsable coilguns hidden behind headlights. Coil-gun ammunition is Hi-Ex rounds
with ceramic AP tips and ferric alloy discarding sabbots.
Owner of Record: Benjamin Rhodes
Flag of Record: The Republic of Texas (Defunct)
Purpose: Courier and light fright delivery as well as personal and racing vehicle
Crew:
Benjamin Rhodes (Capt.)
Gina (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
I AM THIS PLACE: Gina started out as a home-built
computer that, in a fit of dissatisfaction with it's performance, applied liberal amounts of gray handwavium to strategic locations. However, Gina did not
manifest until Ben hooked the computer into the Bullet Boy Express. Ben figures that Gina is a combination of the insipient AI in the computer and the spirit
of the Car.
Homicidal: Most guys take it very seriously when
someone does something to their car. Gina takes it more than just seriously when someone does something to her 'body' - she wants blood.
Hands Off: Gina will only let Ben, and no one else
pilot her. Conversly, she gets jealous when Ben pilots anything but her.
The more you scream...: If there is a passenger aboard
who is adverse to "hard manuevering", Gina will make the ride more and more intense, especially if they scream.
Home Port: The Island
Status: >>>ACTIVEINACTIVE
12-21-2006, 08:39 AM
Ship Name: SS Sophistical Elenchi
Created by Brian Webb (Firvulag)
Registry Number: ECS-004-GDHND
Base Hull: Non-rigid airship (blimp)
Drive Type: Sublight - Acceleration, FTL - Travelerish style 'jump' drive, see Quirks.
Owner of Record: KFD Heavy Industries
Flag of Record: Canadian
Purpose: Personal Yacht, towing
Crew:
*F, "Furry" to most people, it annoys him to no end. (Capt.)
*Aristotle (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*I know nothing...: The acceleration drive uses reaction mass, but no where near as much as it should as long as F doesn't think about it or try to work out the math.
*This far and no farther: The FTL drive actually works the same way that most other FTL drives work, except it can only be turned on for a specific amount of time, long enough to take the Elenchi just over four light years. It also produces a massive power drain.
*Whistle while you work: The handwaved photo-electric Ivy that serves the Elenchi as a back up power source likes classical music. It takes months for it to get tired of a given piece too.
*It's Alive: The capacitors that F is installing to handle the FTL power drain glow strange colours. He thinks they might be talking to each other.
*Just a few more minutes: The Elenchi's interior is unfinished, and it is possible that F may never be able to finish it.
Crew Quirks:
*Everyone who meets F ends up calling him "Furry" after a while.
*Furry wears a battered Tilly hat practically everywhere, people don't recognize him with out it. It may or may not have been exposed to handwavium.
Faction: Independent
Home Port: Port Luna
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
*The FTL drive has two labels that F didn't put there. The first says "Superluminal Conductor" in a tasteful sans serif, the second reads "Warning: Contraterrene Matter" in large, unfriendly letters.
--
Sure, the U.S. has created amazing amounts of crap, but nothing
compares with the sheer horror of those two words.
WILLIAM. SHATNER.
-- Mark "Kamikaze" Hughes on Canada
Created by Brian Webb (Firvulag)
Registry Number: ECS-004-GDHND
Base Hull: Non-rigid airship (blimp)
Drive Type: Sublight - Acceleration, FTL - Travelerish style 'jump' drive, see Quirks.
Owner of Record: KFD Heavy Industries
Flag of Record: Canadian
Purpose: Personal Yacht, towing
Crew:
*F, "Furry" to most people, it annoys him to no end. (Capt.)
*Aristotle (AI)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*I know nothing...: The acceleration drive uses reaction mass, but no where near as much as it should as long as F doesn't think about it or try to work out the math.
*This far and no farther: The FTL drive actually works the same way that most other FTL drives work, except it can only be turned on for a specific amount of time, long enough to take the Elenchi just over four light years. It also produces a massive power drain.
*Whistle while you work: The handwaved photo-electric Ivy that serves the Elenchi as a back up power source likes classical music. It takes months for it to get tired of a given piece too.
*It's Alive: The capacitors that F is installing to handle the FTL power drain glow strange colours. He thinks they might be talking to each other.
*Just a few more minutes: The Elenchi's interior is unfinished, and it is possible that F may never be able to finish it.
Crew Quirks:
*Everyone who meets F ends up calling him "Furry" after a while.
*Furry wears a battered Tilly hat practically everywhere, people don't recognize him with out it. It may or may not have been exposed to handwavium.
Faction: Independent
Home Port: Port Luna
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
*The FTL drive has two labels that F didn't put there. The first says "Superluminal Conductor" in a tasteful sans serif, the second reads "Warning: Contraterrene Matter" in large, unfriendly letters.
--
Sure, the U.S. has created amazing amounts of crap, but nothing
compares with the sheer horror of those two words.
WILLIAM. SHATNER.
-- Mark "Kamikaze" Hughes on Canada
12-21-2006, 09:46 AM
Ship Name: SV Moondance
Created by Valles
Registry Number: DBW-709D
Base Hull: Custom Hardtech (65m Sphere; ~163,000gt)
Drive Type: Acceleration (Diametric Drive)
Owners of Record: Natalie Baker and Stacy King
Flag of Record: United States of America
Purpose: Freighter
Launched: August 22, 2011
Crew:
* Natalie Baker (Captain)
* Stacy King (Cargomaster, Executive Officer)
* Aoi Asahina (Communications Officer)
* Susan Schwartzschild, Ph.D. (Chief Engineer)
* Six to ten others on 2nd and 3rd shifts
Known Vehicle Quirks
* Reputation: Nukyular Powerd - Generates electrical power via a bona-fide 150MW nuclear fission reactor. Captain Baker reaps much respect for having it in the air without constant 'Dane complaints, even if (or because) no one knows how she managed it.
* Zero G is for Porn - Propulsion system 'burns' orgone as 'reaction mass'
* Secret: Workin' For the Man - Carries CIA listening devices and cargoes.
Known Crew Quirks
* People Come and People Go - Most crew positions have a relatively high turnover rate, making it unusual to recognize every person coming off at a given port of call.
* No, Mr. Bond... - Most of the ship's crew is made up of CIA agents of one sort or another.
Faction: Fendane, American Flavored
Home Port: Cape Canaveral, Earth
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Only nuclear-powered commercial ship ever to earn a profit.
* Largest 'scratch built' ship in Fenspace.
* No explanation has ever been found for the 'thruster plume' left by positive end of her drive field.
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"
Created by Valles
Registry Number: DBW-709D
Base Hull: Custom Hardtech (65m Sphere; ~163,000gt)
Drive Type: Acceleration (Diametric Drive)
Owners of Record: Natalie Baker and Stacy King
Flag of Record: United States of America
Purpose: Freighter
Launched: August 22, 2011
Crew:
* Natalie Baker (Captain)
* Stacy King (Cargomaster, Executive Officer)
* Aoi Asahina (Communications Officer)
* Susan Schwartzschild, Ph.D. (Chief Engineer)
* Six to ten others on 2nd and 3rd shifts
Known Vehicle Quirks
* Reputation: Nukyular Powerd - Generates electrical power via a bona-fide 150MW nuclear fission reactor. Captain Baker reaps much respect for having it in the air without constant 'Dane complaints, even if (or because) no one knows how she managed it.
* Zero G is for Porn - Propulsion system 'burns' orgone as 'reaction mass'
* Secret: Workin' For the Man - Carries CIA listening devices and cargoes.
Known Crew Quirks
* People Come and People Go - Most crew positions have a relatively high turnover rate, making it unusual to recognize every person coming off at a given port of call.
* No, Mr. Bond... - Most of the ship's crew is made up of CIA agents of one sort or another.
Faction: Fendane, American Flavored
Home Port: Cape Canaveral, Earth
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Only nuclear-powered commercial ship ever to earn a profit.
* Largest 'scratch built' ship in Fenspace.
* No explanation has ever been found for the 'thruster plume' left by positive end of her drive field.
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"
12-21-2006, 12:20 PM
Ship Name: SSX Masaka
Created by Sam Ashley (Evil Midnight Lurker)
Registry Number: CB-13013-SC2
Base Hull: SS Palo Alto, WW1-era concrete-hulled oil tanker
Drive Type: Speed (internal mount 'Wavium Motion Engine), maximum velocity .03 C
Owner of Record: Crossbones Interplanetary Freight
Flag of Record: Pirate Island
Purpose: Bulk cargo freighter (essential supplies)
Launched: December 14, 2007
Crew:
*William Henry "Danger Will" Robinson (Captain, chief engineer, quartermaster)
*Eurydice Suzdal (Helm, medic, morale)
*Felice Suzdal (Gunner, navigator, science officer)
*Solstice Suzdal (Chief of security, communications, cook)
Supplementary Crew:
*Glory S. (ship's cat)
Auxiliary Vehicles:
*ROFLCopter, a 'waved Bell 206 JetRanger.
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*Matsumoto Meters: Much of the Masaka's interior bulkheads are dotted with inset, illuminated gauges of all description, most of them unlabeled. Those whose functions are known measure, detect, or locate anything from the ship's mass to the value of pi. Only the crew quarters seem immune to the spreading readouts. The Meters are all connected to the ship's computer system -- in fact, the system itself has spread through most of the hull.
*Tochiro's Ghost: The crew remain unsure whether or not the Masaka's onboard computers have Quickened, and if so, to what level. If they have, they're not communicating with anyone, but the ship has been known to take minor actions on its own. So far, those actions have only been to the crew's benefit.
*Tagged: Where a seagoing ship might attract barnacles, the Masaka's lower hull spontaneously manifests abstract graffiti. This may be a manifestation of the hypothetical AI's artistic talents, or it may just be One Of Those Things.
*Letterman Effect: When the ROFLCopter is in operation, it radiates a humor-exaggeration field. Those affected will find even the stupidest jokes and puns to be worth a chuckle, and anything top-of-the-line may put pilot and passengers in serious danger.
Known Crew Quirks:
*The Crime and the Glory: The Suzdal Sisters aren't biomodded humans -- they're cats, accidentally Uplifted in utero by a fan of Alan Burt Akers' planetary romance novels, mostly humanoid with the addition of two extra arms and a prehensile pseudohanded tail. Glory S., the ship's cat, is their unmodded mother.
*Banned in Boston: No 'danelaw exists in which the crew's relationship is completely legal; in order to minimize the possibility of harassment, the Masaka only touches down in international waters.
*Not Welcome Here: Despite three-quarters of the crew being genuine furries, Furry fen are greeted with a great deal of suspicion and mistrust due to certain unpleasant past events.
*A Pirate's Life: While they delve into other forms of cosplay, none of the crew are ever seen without some Pirate identifier. All of them take their affiliation and the Pirates' Code very seriously.
*The Search: Captain Robinson is known to track down successfully biomodded fen of various stripes, and to barter for any remaining samples of the 'wavium strains used in the mod. He is not believed to be modded, and in fact goes to great lengths to avoid anything that even looks like guacamole. Most observers suspect that he has a very complex biomod in mind for himself and wants to be certain he gets it right. Most observers would be correct.
Faction: Pirate hardliners.
Home Port: SSX Base, Pirate Island (6565 Reiji)
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
--Sam
"Comfort, commitment, marriage. What do these words have in common? The letter C. Except for marriage."
Created by Sam Ashley (Evil Midnight Lurker)
Registry Number: CB-13013-SC2
Base Hull: SS Palo Alto, WW1-era concrete-hulled oil tanker
Drive Type: Speed (internal mount 'Wavium Motion Engine), maximum velocity .03 C
Owner of Record: Crossbones Interplanetary Freight
Flag of Record: Pirate Island
Purpose: Bulk cargo freighter (essential supplies)
Launched: December 14, 2007
Crew:
*William Henry "Danger Will" Robinson (Captain, chief engineer, quartermaster)
*Eurydice Suzdal (Helm, medic, morale)
*Felice Suzdal (Gunner, navigator, science officer)
*Solstice Suzdal (Chief of security, communications, cook)
Supplementary Crew:
*Glory S. (ship's cat)
Auxiliary Vehicles:
*ROFLCopter, a 'waved Bell 206 JetRanger.
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*Matsumoto Meters: Much of the Masaka's interior bulkheads are dotted with inset, illuminated gauges of all description, most of them unlabeled. Those whose functions are known measure, detect, or locate anything from the ship's mass to the value of pi. Only the crew quarters seem immune to the spreading readouts. The Meters are all connected to the ship's computer system -- in fact, the system itself has spread through most of the hull.
*Tochiro's Ghost: The crew remain unsure whether or not the Masaka's onboard computers have Quickened, and if so, to what level. If they have, they're not communicating with anyone, but the ship has been known to take minor actions on its own. So far, those actions have only been to the crew's benefit.
*Tagged: Where a seagoing ship might attract barnacles, the Masaka's lower hull spontaneously manifests abstract graffiti. This may be a manifestation of the hypothetical AI's artistic talents, or it may just be One Of Those Things.
*Letterman Effect: When the ROFLCopter is in operation, it radiates a humor-exaggeration field. Those affected will find even the stupidest jokes and puns to be worth a chuckle, and anything top-of-the-line may put pilot and passengers in serious danger.
Known Crew Quirks:
*The Crime and the Glory: The Suzdal Sisters aren't biomodded humans -- they're cats, accidentally Uplifted in utero by a fan of Alan Burt Akers' planetary romance novels, mostly humanoid with the addition of two extra arms and a prehensile pseudohanded tail. Glory S., the ship's cat, is their unmodded mother.
*Banned in Boston: No 'danelaw exists in which the crew's relationship is completely legal; in order to minimize the possibility of harassment, the Masaka only touches down in international waters.
*Not Welcome Here: Despite three-quarters of the crew being genuine furries, Furry fen are greeted with a great deal of suspicion and mistrust due to certain unpleasant past events.
*A Pirate's Life: While they delve into other forms of cosplay, none of the crew are ever seen without some Pirate identifier. All of them take their affiliation and the Pirates' Code very seriously.
*The Search: Captain Robinson is known to track down successfully biomodded fen of various stripes, and to barter for any remaining samples of the 'wavium strains used in the mod. He is not believed to be modded, and in fact goes to great lengths to avoid anything that even looks like guacamole. Most observers suspect that he has a very complex biomod in mind for himself and wants to be certain he gets it right. Most observers would be correct.
Faction: Pirate hardliners.
Home Port: SSX Base, Pirate Island (6565 Reiji)
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
--Sam
"Comfort, commitment, marriage. What do these words have in common? The letter C. Except for marriage."
12-21-2006, 03:30 PM
Ship Name: S.S Klondike III
Created by Allan Twigge (Florin)
Registry Number: 156744
Base Hull: Sternwheeler
Drive Type: Speed/FTL (Gravitic Paddlewheel)
Owner of Record: Galactic Mail and Cargo
Flag of Record: Australia
Purpose: Intersteller Mail and Cargo hauling, Keeping a 'friendly' eye on the Fen.
Launched: May 19, 2007
Crew:
*Allan Twigge (Captain)
*James "Jimmy Potter" Masters (First Mate)
*Joseph "Chibi-JoJo-Chan" Dahl (Engineer)
*Josh "Flunky" Patterson (Flunky)
Supplementary Crew:
*Katkat (Ship's Cat)
Supplementary Vehicles:
*H.M.S Steamboat Willy: A 'waved UHAUL Cube truck, used as a cargo shuttle to places landing a water ship is impossible (IE: Almost anywhere but Earth)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*Silent Treatment: The ship's systems refuse to network, meaning that navigation has to be done on one system, course corrections done on another and drive speed controlled from the engine room. This also means that hacking anything other than communications is impossible from outside the ship.
*Anti - Talent Field: No matter how much previous experiance you have, no matter how much practicing you do, your attempts to play the violin are horrific crimes against music. This is unfortunate, since the only way to change the speed of the ship is by playing the violin.
*Historical Preservation: The ship resists all attempts to make it look modern, microphones become speaking tubes, navigational displays become map tables and the helm is still a giant wooden wheel. No one is sure how exactally you can maneuver in 3D space with a wheel that only spins two ways, but it works.
*Paddlewhat?: The paddlewheel spins faster the faster the ship is moving. Despite the complete lack of anything to paddle, the ship still generates a wake behind it.
Known Crew Quirks:
Anime Hair: Captain Allan's hair is almost an independant lifeform, changing it's shape and color at random times, but always to a ridiculious anime style. This was caused by getting a face full of 'waved guacamole that some drunkard tossed out thier window in Australia.
Just a Flunky: Josh Patterson has an almost supernatural ability to get into any place you might expect to find a menial worker or servant, and go completly unnoticed, even if the people in the room aren't normally rude enough to ignore the hired help.
Faction: Independant, Canadian Security Intelligance Service
Home Port: Brisbane, Australia
Current Location: The Limit, Inbound
Status: Active
Trivia:
*Currently holds the record for Longest Known Intersteller Trip, acchieved while shipping out the Search for Extra Galatic Intelligance group.
*Contains a truly impressive amount of Slapstick and conventional small arms.--
Comb your hair, damn anime hippies.
--
If you become a monster to put down a monster you've still got a monster running around at the end of the day and have as such not really solved the whole monster problem at all.
Created by Allan Twigge (Florin)
Registry Number: 156744
Base Hull: Sternwheeler
Drive Type: Speed/FTL (Gravitic Paddlewheel)
Owner of Record: Galactic Mail and Cargo
Flag of Record: Australia
Purpose: Intersteller Mail and Cargo hauling, Keeping a 'friendly' eye on the Fen.
Launched: May 19, 2007
Crew:
*Allan Twigge (Captain)
*James "Jimmy Potter" Masters (First Mate)
*Joseph "Chibi-JoJo-Chan" Dahl (Engineer)
*Josh "Flunky" Patterson (Flunky)
Supplementary Crew:
*Katkat (Ship's Cat)
Supplementary Vehicles:
*H.M.S Steamboat Willy: A 'waved UHAUL Cube truck, used as a cargo shuttle to places landing a water ship is impossible (IE: Almost anywhere but Earth)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
*Silent Treatment: The ship's systems refuse to network, meaning that navigation has to be done on one system, course corrections done on another and drive speed controlled from the engine room. This also means that hacking anything other than communications is impossible from outside the ship.
*Anti - Talent Field: No matter how much previous experiance you have, no matter how much practicing you do, your attempts to play the violin are horrific crimes against music. This is unfortunate, since the only way to change the speed of the ship is by playing the violin.
*Historical Preservation: The ship resists all attempts to make it look modern, microphones become speaking tubes, navigational displays become map tables and the helm is still a giant wooden wheel. No one is sure how exactally you can maneuver in 3D space with a wheel that only spins two ways, but it works.
*Paddlewhat?: The paddlewheel spins faster the faster the ship is moving. Despite the complete lack of anything to paddle, the ship still generates a wake behind it.
Known Crew Quirks:
Anime Hair: Captain Allan's hair is almost an independant lifeform, changing it's shape and color at random times, but always to a ridiculious anime style. This was caused by getting a face full of 'waved guacamole that some drunkard tossed out thier window in Australia.
Just a Flunky: Josh Patterson has an almost supernatural ability to get into any place you might expect to find a menial worker or servant, and go completly unnoticed, even if the people in the room aren't normally rude enough to ignore the hired help.
Faction: Independant, Canadian Security Intelligance Service
Home Port: Brisbane, Australia
Current Location: The Limit, Inbound
Status: Active
Trivia:
*Currently holds the record for Longest Known Intersteller Trip, acchieved while shipping out the Search for Extra Galatic Intelligance group.
*Contains a truly impressive amount of Slapstick and conventional small arms.--
Comb your hair, damn anime hippies.
--
If you become a monster to put down a monster you've still got a monster running around at the end of the day and have as such not really solved the whole monster problem at all.
12-21-2006, 10:43 PM
Spacecraft Greenwood
Created By: ECSNorway
Registry Number: ECS-05-SR
Base Hull: Asteroid (Spitzer Catalogue Number 649/B3/1986)*
Drive Type: DeSitter Plasma Vector Interpolator ("Speed"-type)
Owner of Record: Chris Marsden
Flag of Record: United States of America, Earth
Purpose: Private Residence, corporate headquarters of Rockhounds, Inc.
Launched: n/a (Refit completion and christening date, 22 January 2009)
Current Location: Earth Orbit, Lagrange Point Four**
Home Port: Itself
Dimensions: Approximately 8km by 5km by 3km
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* ECS-05a Loki ('waved Toyota Corrolla)
* ECS-05b Heimdall ('waved Winnebago)
* ECS-05c Sleipner ('waved former US Navy ocean tug, used for asteroid haulage, corporate asset of Rockhounds, Inc.)
* Other personal vehicles of residents and guests
Recorded Firsts:
* First operational greenhouse in space.
* First Earth-registered business to have its headquarters in space
Crew and Residents:
* Chris Marsden (Owner/Operator)
* The Bo'sun (Ship's Cat)
* Amy O'Connell, Transrationality Scientific Analysis Bureau (Frequent Guest)
* Ayanami Rei (Chief of Maintenance, probable 'wave-construct)
* Others to be named later
Known Quirks:
* The Garden: Built on a cleared and flattened area on what internal gravity generators have made the "upper" surface of the asteroid is a large, domed region, approximately four kilometers on a side. The Captain's personal residence extends up into this area (to give him a nice view of it), and about a third of the space is kept as clear grassy meadow. The remainder is carefully transplanted New York pine forest, with sparse undergrowth and a number of equally carefully transplanted animal species (squirrells, birds, and so forth). The garden's ecosystem is very carefully planned to minimize the need for insects of any sort; there are no insectivores among the resident animals.
* The drive will not work above atmospheric speeds without a wood fire burning in one of several fireplaces. No one is quite sure why this is, except possibly Rei. Fuel for such fires is carefully hoarded from deadfall in the Garden and occasionally purchased in cord lots from Earth. In order
to accomodate this, the 'bridge' area has been expanded to include a rather comfortable lounge, complete with fireplace and fuel storage area.
* A sign on the large vehicle-entry airlock at the bottom of the asteroid reads "Turtles Welcome Here".
Known Crew/Resident Quirks:
* Captain Marsden, as CEO of Rockhounds, Inc., and an active collaborator with the TSAB, is one of few fen who actually encourages a widening of fendane and mundane activity in space. He rigorously maintains and defends his American citizenship and an Earthside residence, going so far as to pay taxes and vote. He also, "in the model of Utena-kanchou" as he has put it more than once, frequently serves as the ship's cook.
* Ayanami Rei takes care of the 'garden' and much of the actual machinery that runs the Greenwood, including its engines. She simply appeared one day, when a guest went out to mow the lawn and found it already done. It is speculated that there might be more than one of her (or that 'she' might simply be a projection of a tulpa or other paraphysical life-form), boring tasks tend to be completed when no one's looking and interesting ones whenever someone is actively looking for her.
* The Bo'sun is a cat. Being a cat is, by definition, considered to be a quirk.
Other known Space Rocks (Products of Rockhounds, Inc)
SR-01: NASA, experimental station, semi-officially known as "Space Station Beta" (Lagrange Point 5)
SR-02: Dow Pharma/3M Pharmaceuticals (joint operation), medical research and drug synthesis (Lagrange Point 5)
SR-03: USAF (Classified)
SR-04: DARPA/NASA/USAF Transrationality Scientific Analysis Bureau (Lagrange Point 4)
SR-06: European Space Agency (Satellite maintenance depot, occasionally referred to by Fen as "Nouveau Paris") (Geosynchronous Orbit over Paris, France)
SR-07: Seijoutaigakure no Sato (Hidden Village of the Asteroid) (Returned to Belt orbit after mining/refitting)
These are the "rocks" brought in personally by Captain Marsden and his crew; others for whom Rockhounds, Inc. acted as a middleman are not listed.
* The Spitzer Catalog is fictional, based on a proposal currently under review. The number is a hatpull.
** Varies on occasion, this is the favored "parking orbit".
*** Several minor edits completed.--
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Created By: ECSNorway
Registry Number: ECS-05-SR
Base Hull: Asteroid (Spitzer Catalogue Number 649/B3/1986)*
Drive Type: DeSitter Plasma Vector Interpolator ("Speed"-type)
Owner of Record: Chris Marsden
Flag of Record: United States of America, Earth
Purpose: Private Residence, corporate headquarters of Rockhounds, Inc.
Launched: n/a (Refit completion and christening date, 22 January 2009)
Current Location: Earth Orbit, Lagrange Point Four**
Home Port: Itself
Dimensions: Approximately 8km by 5km by 3km
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* ECS-05a Loki ('waved Toyota Corrolla)
* ECS-05b Heimdall ('waved Winnebago)
* ECS-05c Sleipner ('waved former US Navy ocean tug, used for asteroid haulage, corporate asset of Rockhounds, Inc.)
* Other personal vehicles of residents and guests
Recorded Firsts:
* First operational greenhouse in space.
* First Earth-registered business to have its headquarters in space
Crew and Residents:
* Chris Marsden (Owner/Operator)
* The Bo'sun (Ship's Cat)
* Amy O'Connell, Transrationality Scientific Analysis Bureau (Frequent Guest)
* Ayanami Rei (Chief of Maintenance, probable 'wave-construct)
* Others to be named later
Known Quirks:
* The Garden: Built on a cleared and flattened area on what internal gravity generators have made the "upper" surface of the asteroid is a large, domed region, approximately four kilometers on a side. The Captain's personal residence extends up into this area (to give him a nice view of it), and about a third of the space is kept as clear grassy meadow. The remainder is carefully transplanted New York pine forest, with sparse undergrowth and a number of equally carefully transplanted animal species (squirrells, birds, and so forth). The garden's ecosystem is very carefully planned to minimize the need for insects of any sort; there are no insectivores among the resident animals.
* The drive will not work above atmospheric speeds without a wood fire burning in one of several fireplaces. No one is quite sure why this is, except possibly Rei. Fuel for such fires is carefully hoarded from deadfall in the Garden and occasionally purchased in cord lots from Earth. In order
to accomodate this, the 'bridge' area has been expanded to include a rather comfortable lounge, complete with fireplace and fuel storage area.
* A sign on the large vehicle-entry airlock at the bottom of the asteroid reads "Turtles Welcome Here".
Known Crew/Resident Quirks:
* Captain Marsden, as CEO of Rockhounds, Inc., and an active collaborator with the TSAB, is one of few fen who actually encourages a widening of fendane and mundane activity in space. He rigorously maintains and defends his American citizenship and an Earthside residence, going so far as to pay taxes and vote. He also, "in the model of Utena-kanchou" as he has put it more than once, frequently serves as the ship's cook.
* Ayanami Rei takes care of the 'garden' and much of the actual machinery that runs the Greenwood, including its engines. She simply appeared one day, when a guest went out to mow the lawn and found it already done. It is speculated that there might be more than one of her (or that 'she' might simply be a projection of a tulpa or other paraphysical life-form), boring tasks tend to be completed when no one's looking and interesting ones whenever someone is actively looking for her.
* The Bo'sun is a cat. Being a cat is, by definition, considered to be a quirk.
Other known Space Rocks (Products of Rockhounds, Inc)
SR-01: NASA, experimental station, semi-officially known as "Space Station Beta" (Lagrange Point 5)
SR-02: Dow Pharma/3M Pharmaceuticals (joint operation), medical research and drug synthesis (Lagrange Point 5)
SR-03: USAF (Classified)
SR-04: DARPA/NASA/USAF Transrationality Scientific Analysis Bureau (Lagrange Point 4)
SR-06: European Space Agency (Satellite maintenance depot, occasionally referred to by Fen as "Nouveau Paris") (Geosynchronous Orbit over Paris, France)
SR-07: Seijoutaigakure no Sato (Hidden Village of the Asteroid) (Returned to Belt orbit after mining/refitting)
These are the "rocks" brought in personally by Captain Marsden and his crew; others for whom Rockhounds, Inc. acted as a middleman are not listed.
* The Spitzer Catalog is fictional, based on a proposal currently under review. The number is a hatpull.
** Varies on occasion, this is the favored "parking orbit".
*** Several minor edits completed.--
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
12-22-2006, 01:59 AM
SS Saint Bernard
Created By: drakensis
Registry Number: none
Base Hull: C-97 Statofreighter
Drive Type: Speed
Owner of Record: Mr. Johnson
Flag of Record: Kuni no Karasu
Purpose: Mobile Home & Office
Launched: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, USA; 2009
Current Location: in an extremely distant orbit of Phobos
Home Port: None (see quirks)
Dimensions: 110'x141'x38' in it's longest dimensions
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* SS Jaime Retief ('waved Vauxhall Cavalier)
* an unnamed Dodge Charger (not yet 'waved but roadworthy)
Recorded Firsts:
* First 'waved vehicle to be issued a diplomatic passport
* First aircraft bought from the Davis-Monthan AFB for the purposes of being 'waved
Crew and Residents:
* Mr. Johnson (Owner/Operator)
Known Quirks:
* 'Itsnotmygoddamnplanet' - the Saint Bernard is highly averse to planets and will not approach them too any marked proximity. This makes an actual homeport all but impossible.
* 'Dream a little dream' - the Saint Bernard's power systems will not function unless someone experiences REM sleep aboard every couple of days. Mr Johnson has no recollection of any dreams aboard and is not sure that he wishes to.
* 'Ain't nothin' but a Hound Dawg' - the Saint Bernard displayed some canine traits - it spins it's propellers for people it likes (Mr Johnson and Maetel of the Galaxy Express being the known examples) and when not under power occasionally chases it's own tail for amusement.
* Karma Chamelon' - the Saint Bernard's hull is of variable hue - usually silver to the point of acting as a mirror it will also display whatever will blend into the background. If the pilot could control this it would be very useful. As it is, it's a positive hazard to navigation.
Known Crew/Resident Quirks:
* Mr. Johnson is also known by many pseudonyms, not all of them chosen by him. His personal name is usually guessed as Asuma or Lando, his family name as Johnson, Morden or Lee.
* He's also pretty bad with other people's names.
* Given Mr. Johnson's rumoured wealth (certainly his personal income should be considerable) the Saint Bernard could be extremely luxurious. This is not the case - with few exceptions the interior is rather spartan.D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
Created By: drakensis
Registry Number: none
Base Hull: C-97 Statofreighter
Drive Type: Speed
Owner of Record: Mr. Johnson
Flag of Record: Kuni no Karasu
Purpose: Mobile Home & Office
Launched: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, USA; 2009
Current Location: in an extremely distant orbit of Phobos
Home Port: None (see quirks)
Dimensions: 110'x141'x38' in it's longest dimensions
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* SS Jaime Retief ('waved Vauxhall Cavalier)
* an unnamed Dodge Charger (not yet 'waved but roadworthy)
Recorded Firsts:
* First 'waved vehicle to be issued a diplomatic passport
* First aircraft bought from the Davis-Monthan AFB for the purposes of being 'waved
Crew and Residents:
* Mr. Johnson (Owner/Operator)
Known Quirks:
* 'Itsnotmygoddamnplanet' - the Saint Bernard is highly averse to planets and will not approach them too any marked proximity. This makes an actual homeport all but impossible.
* 'Dream a little dream' - the Saint Bernard's power systems will not function unless someone experiences REM sleep aboard every couple of days. Mr Johnson has no recollection of any dreams aboard and is not sure that he wishes to.
* 'Ain't nothin' but a Hound Dawg' - the Saint Bernard displayed some canine traits - it spins it's propellers for people it likes (Mr Johnson and Maetel of the Galaxy Express being the known examples) and when not under power occasionally chases it's own tail for amusement.
* Karma Chamelon' - the Saint Bernard's hull is of variable hue - usually silver to the point of acting as a mirror it will also display whatever will blend into the background. If the pilot could control this it would be very useful. As it is, it's a positive hazard to navigation.
Known Crew/Resident Quirks:
* Mr. Johnson is also known by many pseudonyms, not all of them chosen by him. His personal name is usually guessed as Asuma or Lando, his family name as Johnson, Morden or Lee.
* He's also pretty bad with other people's names.
* Given Mr. Johnson's rumoured wealth (certainly his personal income should be considerable) the Saint Bernard could be extremely luxurious. This is not the case - with few exceptions the interior is rather spartan.D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
KJ
12-22-2006, 02:30 AM
Ship Name: SC Kestrel Mk3
Created by KJ
Base Hull: Scratch built diamond-fiber composite
Drive Type: Speed/Acceleration; the first through conventional means, the second through handwavium enhanced reaction engines that came as spares with Ptichka.
Owner of Record: KJ
Purpose: Racing vehicle / propulsion testbed
Crew:
* KJ (Capt.)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Millenium Falcon Syndrome - The Kestrel series have very little in redundant systems, or space, or spare mass. As such, they tend to become horrible maintenance pigs, and various systems stop working. This is usually more annoying than life-threatening, and often can be fixed with percussive maintenance.
* Explosive Overclocking! - The reaction engines on the Mk3 aren't quite pure wavetech; the Mk2 used almost purely hardtech reaction engines, but was completely destroyed in remote control testing. The Mk3 version sometimes has things fail catastrophicially enough to look like explosions or gouts of flame coming out of the wrong place in the engine nacelles. This tends to be very exciting, especially for the pilot.
* Completely Impractical - The design of the ship has two massive engine pods on either side, connected via a short wing, with a small ovoid center hull with a canopy slung behind the wing. Because the center hull is only slightly larger than a coffin, KJ tends to leave it in storage and just stay on the Explain Star.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Jusenkyo: Inadvertant long-term exposure to guacamole handwavium caused a biomod that causes him to change from a 6'2 brown-haired male to a 6'1 redheaded female when doused with cold water. The change conserves mass, and going back and forth from one form to another too often is nastilyunpleasant.
Home Port: Kandor City, Luna
Current Location: Kandor City, Luna
Status: In storage, awaiting manufacture of replacement parts.
Trivia:
* Constructed by the Explain Star's chief engineer during his free time, long before racing around the solar system had caught on. As yet, one of the few craft solely built for it.
* Has yet to actually successfully complete a race, due to the nature of the design.
* Bright red. Obviously.
Created by KJ
Base Hull: Scratch built diamond-fiber composite
Drive Type: Speed/Acceleration; the first through conventional means, the second through handwavium enhanced reaction engines that came as spares with Ptichka.
Owner of Record: KJ
Purpose: Racing vehicle / propulsion testbed
Crew:
* KJ (Capt.)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Millenium Falcon Syndrome - The Kestrel series have very little in redundant systems, or space, or spare mass. As such, they tend to become horrible maintenance pigs, and various systems stop working. This is usually more annoying than life-threatening, and often can be fixed with percussive maintenance.
* Explosive Overclocking! - The reaction engines on the Mk3 aren't quite pure wavetech; the Mk2 used almost purely hardtech reaction engines, but was completely destroyed in remote control testing. The Mk3 version sometimes has things fail catastrophicially enough to look like explosions or gouts of flame coming out of the wrong place in the engine nacelles. This tends to be very exciting, especially for the pilot.
* Completely Impractical - The design of the ship has two massive engine pods on either side, connected via a short wing, with a small ovoid center hull with a canopy slung behind the wing. Because the center hull is only slightly larger than a coffin, KJ tends to leave it in storage and just stay on the Explain Star.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Jusenkyo: Inadvertant long-term exposure to guacamole handwavium caused a biomod that causes him to change from a 6'2 brown-haired male to a 6'1 redheaded female when doused with cold water. The change conserves mass, and going back and forth from one form to another too often is nastilyunpleasant.
Home Port: Kandor City, Luna
Current Location: Kandor City, Luna
Status: In storage, awaiting manufacture of replacement parts.
Trivia:
* Constructed by the Explain Star's chief engineer during his free time, long before racing around the solar system had caught on. As yet, one of the few craft solely built for it.
* Has yet to actually successfully complete a race, due to the nature of the design.
* Bright red. Obviously.
12-22-2006, 03:31 AM
Ship Name: SV Grover's Corners, aka "Our Town"
That's no space station... that's a moon!
-- A seriously impressed Warsie
Created by Bob Schroeck
Registry Number: GEO-25429
Base Hull: 250 acres of prime West Virginia countryside (circular "divot" about 3700
feet in diameter) contained in a geodesic sphere made of handwavium-enhanced silicates.
Drive Type: "Spindizzy" (Speed, unique variant, rated for 0.01c -- but see Known
Vehicle Quirks)
Owner of Record: The Warriors Group, Ltd.
Flag of Record: N/A, but nominally USA
Purpose: Location-non-specific colonization. Slow, ultra-heavy cargo on occasion. Limited
agriculture.
Launched: April 20, 2012.
Description: The Flying Island's big sister, made from a chunk of rural West Virginia. Seven
frame houses, one concrete blockhouse/bridge/command center, several barn/warehouses and 100 acres of farm/pasture surrounded by about 150 acres of mixed
cedar/deciduous forest and meadows, all enclosed by a transparent geodesic sphere made of handwavium-enhanced silicates. (Ground level is the sphere's
equator, and the upper half is variably transparent.) There are two airlock "garages", one each on the "east" and "west" sides of
the sphere, where the crew is finishing up the conversion of various vehicles into spacecraft. A third such airlock is to the "south" but is empty;
it's intended for visitors and cargo handling.
Crew: (Crew with no last names are those I haven't asked permission from yet)
* Bob Schroeck
* Peggy Schroeck
* Joe Avins
* Kat Avins
* Scott Pinkham
* Heather
* Grace
* Attila Imre
* Helen Imre
* John Freiler
* Alison Mee
* Rachel Zane
* Jim Viel
* Nancy Ott
* David Viel
* Ed Viel
Supplementary Crew:
(Note: Listed ages assume story year is 2012.)
* Luna (4, daughter of Bob and Peggy)
* Nina (12, daughter of Kathleen and Joe)
* Ruth (16, daughter of Heather)
* Carl (14, son of John and Alison)
* Max (12, son of John and Alison)
* Emily and Sarah (14, twin daughters of Rachel)
* Tom (17, son of Jim and Nancy)
* Chris (14, son of Jim and Nancy)
* Mr. Mayor (Primary Coordinator AI, looks like a stereotypcial mayor of a middle American town circa 1915)
* Officer Friendly (Security AI, 1950s-style cop-on-the-beat)
* Geordi (Engineering AI. Looks like the Trek character, which makes Trekkies squee.)
* Gaia (Environmental AI. "Mother Nature" figure.)
* Assorted cats and dogs
* Several horses and ponies
* Various wild animals
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* You will be assimilated, Mr. Bluejay: Handwavium is believed to have infiltrated all the non-human
life within the ship, whose combined and networked mental power produce Gaia. Gaia in turn can use any animal in the ship as a remote sensor (but not a drone).
* It's so lovely this time of year: Goes through an annual seasonal cycle, although the
variation in temperature is not extreme; "winter" is never below 40 degrees F and "summer" rarely above 75.
* Never needs watering: There is no simulation of precipitation beyond fogs and dews that manifest
out of internal humidity; a rather organically-grown network of handwavium irrigation pipes and lines supplies water to plants across the entire ship.
* Partly cloudy, with a chance of asteroids: Beyond these limitations, the ship does manage to have
some actual, if limited, weather conditions. The dome dynamically varies in clarity and color in such a way as to simulate various levels of cloud cover, and
breezes ranging from gentle to brisk blow on occasion (though without obvious sources). Relative humidity also varies between 30 and 90%.
* Healthy body, healthy ship: The main drive output is noticeably improved by 10 to 20% when the
children are active in the "yard"; the improvement persists for up to six hours afterwards, depending on how long and how energetically they play.
And if the children are off the ship for more than a day, it loses up to 50% of its rated speed.
Known Crew Quirks:
* We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune...: There is no fixed command structure on the ship.
Whoever has bridge duty is the command crew for that shift, with "captain" and other ranks determined arbitrarily (or randomly) at shift start. The
unpredictable changes in the officers frequently confuse 'Danes and more militarily-inclined Fen.
* Picks up strays: With the size and resources of the Grover's
Corners, there's always room for a couple hitchhikers -- or even a couple hundred
if they bring their own food and bedrolls. The crew is especially sympathetic to fenkinder, particularly those who left parents behind
on earth. As the Grover's Corners has only recently gotten into space, this hasn't been seen
much yet, but it will become a point of reputation for the ship and its crew in the future.
* So motie it be: Approximately half of the adult crew are active, practicing Wiccans who seem to
have unusual success at convincing handwavium to do specific things when they act in concert. This fact is not yet known to Fenspace at large.
Faction: Non-aligned, but friendly to all. There are too many fandoms represented among the crew
for any one to dominate.
Home Port: In the words of one crew member, "We are
a home port."
Current Location: Quasi-periodic Lissajous orbit around the Earth-Moon L3 point while the crew
recovers from and gets used to having gotten off Earth.
Status: Active
Trivia:
* A small fleet of support craft is planned, but as of this time only four are spaceworthy -- the Salvage I, the Saturns 0 and 1, and the Benten.
* The crew have about a dozen "pre-owned" electric golf carts (waved, of course) which they use to get around from place to place inside the ship.
* The ship has an artificial "sun" that traverses the dome on a track, but it hasn't been used yet; it's intended for extended stays in the
outer system and beyond.
* First known Fencraft with its own ecosystem.
* Largest known solid object to leave Earth under its own power.
* Designed by a science fiction author, two engineers and a witch, who were inspired by The Island and wanted to do the same kind of thing, only bigger.
* It took two nervewracking years -- after the US ban on handwavium -- to grow the geodesic, after
which it took an additional month to treat all the buildings and systems and generate the drive.
* Launched at midnight on the last new moon before the story start date.
* The Grover's Corners' launch set off military radars for hundreds of miles in every
direction.
* The launch was directly responsible for the latest wave of US paranoia about handwavium, and the current increase in tensions between the US and Fenspace.
* The adults were especially vilified by the US government for "recklessly exposing" children to handwavium and taking them out of US jurisdiction.
* The crew intends to "export" freshly-grown vegetables and microbrewed beer, mead and wine once they've settled in. (There are no less than four
hobbyist brewers in the crew.)
* One of the barns currently holds sufficient building materials and tools to erect at least two more houses, should the need arise.
Support Fleet:
SS Salvage I
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: Cement-mixer crew capsule atop tanker-truck body
Drive Type: Speed (.08c)
Owner of Record: The Warriors Group, Ltd.
Main Use: Shuttle, cargo
Known Crew: Bob Schroeck, Peggy Schroeck
Known Vehicle Quirks: Requires the presence of at least one gallon of genuine hydrazine fuel
somewhere onboard or its drive will not function. Given how explosive hydrazine is, this is can be nervewracking for the crew. Navigational computer (non-AI)
speaks with the voice of Andy Griffith.
SC Saturn 0
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2002 Saturn SL1
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Bob Schroeck
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Bob Schroeck, Peggy Schroeck
Known Vehicle Quirks: All the Saturns in the GC fleet emit a jet of flame worthy of their namesake
rocket predecessor from their rear when in flight. This flame obeys the Law of Slapstick; at worst it will cover with soot anything that comes in contact with
it. Radio/CD player self-selects with eerie appropriateness and cannot be turned off, although the volume can
be adjusted.
SC Benten
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2003 Hyundai Elantra
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Helen Imre
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Helen Imre, Attila Imre
Known Vehicle Quirks: (not yet determined)
SC Saturn 1
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2001 Saturn SL1
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Alison Mee
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Alison Mee, John Freiler
Known Vehicle Quirks: All the Saturns in the GC fleet emit a jet of flame worthy of their namesake
rocket predecessor from their rear when in flight. This flame obeys the Law of Slapstick; at worst it will cover with soot anything that comes in contact with
it. Loses 10% of rated speed when operated out of sight of the moon.
(There are several more support vehicles, which will be added as I write them up.)
(3/15/07 Edit: Peggy reminded me last night that I had invited her brother Jim's family into the crew at Christmas, but had forgotten to include them all
this time. Peggy's also arguing with me about the need to have real rain on the ship. )
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
That's no space station... that's a moon!
-- A seriously impressed Warsie
Created by Bob Schroeck
Registry Number: GEO-25429
Base Hull: 250 acres of prime West Virginia countryside (circular "divot" about 3700
feet in diameter) contained in a geodesic sphere made of handwavium-enhanced silicates.
Drive Type: "Spindizzy" (Speed, unique variant, rated for 0.01c -- but see Known
Vehicle Quirks)
Owner of Record: The Warriors Group, Ltd.
Flag of Record: N/A, but nominally USA
Purpose: Location-non-specific colonization. Slow, ultra-heavy cargo on occasion. Limited
agriculture.
Launched: April 20, 2012.
Description: The Flying Island's big sister, made from a chunk of rural West Virginia. Seven
frame houses, one concrete blockhouse/bridge/command center, several barn/warehouses and 100 acres of farm/pasture surrounded by about 150 acres of mixed
cedar/deciduous forest and meadows, all enclosed by a transparent geodesic sphere made of handwavium-enhanced silicates. (Ground level is the sphere's
equator, and the upper half is variably transparent.) There are two airlock "garages", one each on the "east" and "west" sides of
the sphere, where the crew is finishing up the conversion of various vehicles into spacecraft. A third such airlock is to the "south" but is empty;
it's intended for visitors and cargo handling.
Crew: (Crew with no last names are those I haven't asked permission from yet)
* Bob Schroeck
* Peggy Schroeck
* Joe Avins
* Kat Avins
* Scott Pinkham
* Heather
* Grace
* Attila Imre
* Helen Imre
* John Freiler
* Alison Mee
* Rachel Zane
* Jim Viel
* Nancy Ott
* David Viel
* Ed Viel
Supplementary Crew:
(Note: Listed ages assume story year is 2012.)
* Luna (4, daughter of Bob and Peggy)
* Nina (12, daughter of Kathleen and Joe)
* Ruth (16, daughter of Heather)
* Carl (14, son of John and Alison)
* Max (12, son of John and Alison)
* Emily and Sarah (14, twin daughters of Rachel)
* Tom (17, son of Jim and Nancy)
* Chris (14, son of Jim and Nancy)
* Mr. Mayor (Primary Coordinator AI, looks like a stereotypcial mayor of a middle American town circa 1915)
* Officer Friendly (Security AI, 1950s-style cop-on-the-beat)
* Geordi (Engineering AI. Looks like the Trek character, which makes Trekkies squee.)
* Gaia (Environmental AI. "Mother Nature" figure.)
* Assorted cats and dogs
* Several horses and ponies
* Various wild animals
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* You will be assimilated, Mr. Bluejay: Handwavium is believed to have infiltrated all the non-human
life within the ship, whose combined and networked mental power produce Gaia. Gaia in turn can use any animal in the ship as a remote sensor (but not a drone).
* It's so lovely this time of year: Goes through an annual seasonal cycle, although the
variation in temperature is not extreme; "winter" is never below 40 degrees F and "summer" rarely above 75.
* Never needs watering: There is no simulation of precipitation beyond fogs and dews that manifest
out of internal humidity; a rather organically-grown network of handwavium irrigation pipes and lines supplies water to plants across the entire ship.
* Partly cloudy, with a chance of asteroids: Beyond these limitations, the ship does manage to have
some actual, if limited, weather conditions. The dome dynamically varies in clarity and color in such a way as to simulate various levels of cloud cover, and
breezes ranging from gentle to brisk blow on occasion (though without obvious sources). Relative humidity also varies between 30 and 90%.
* Healthy body, healthy ship: The main drive output is noticeably improved by 10 to 20% when the
children are active in the "yard"; the improvement persists for up to six hours afterwards, depending on how long and how energetically they play.
And if the children are off the ship for more than a day, it loses up to 50% of its rated speed.
Known Crew Quirks:
* We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune...: There is no fixed command structure on the ship.
Whoever has bridge duty is the command crew for that shift, with "captain" and other ranks determined arbitrarily (or randomly) at shift start. The
unpredictable changes in the officers frequently confuse 'Danes and more militarily-inclined Fen.
* Picks up strays: With the size and resources of the Grover's
Corners, there's always room for a couple hitchhikers -- or even a couple hundred
if they bring their own food and bedrolls. The crew is especially sympathetic to fenkinder, particularly those who left parents behind
on earth. As the Grover's Corners has only recently gotten into space, this hasn't been seen
much yet, but it will become a point of reputation for the ship and its crew in the future.
* So motie it be: Approximately half of the adult crew are active, practicing Wiccans who seem to
have unusual success at convincing handwavium to do specific things when they act in concert. This fact is not yet known to Fenspace at large.
Faction: Non-aligned, but friendly to all. There are too many fandoms represented among the crew
for any one to dominate.
Home Port: In the words of one crew member, "We are
a home port."
Current Location: Quasi-periodic Lissajous orbit around the Earth-Moon L3 point while the crew
recovers from and gets used to having gotten off Earth.
Status: Active
Trivia:
* A small fleet of support craft is planned, but as of this time only four are spaceworthy -- the Salvage I, the Saturns 0 and 1, and the Benten.
* The crew have about a dozen "pre-owned" electric golf carts (waved, of course) which they use to get around from place to place inside the ship.
* The ship has an artificial "sun" that traverses the dome on a track, but it hasn't been used yet; it's intended for extended stays in the
outer system and beyond.
* First known Fencraft with its own ecosystem.
* Largest known solid object to leave Earth under its own power.
* Designed by a science fiction author, two engineers and a witch, who were inspired by The Island and wanted to do the same kind of thing, only bigger.
* It took two nervewracking years -- after the US ban on handwavium -- to grow the geodesic, after
which it took an additional month to treat all the buildings and systems and generate the drive.
* Launched at midnight on the last new moon before the story start date.
* The Grover's Corners' launch set off military radars for hundreds of miles in every
direction.
* The launch was directly responsible for the latest wave of US paranoia about handwavium, and the current increase in tensions between the US and Fenspace.
* The adults were especially vilified by the US government for "recklessly exposing" children to handwavium and taking them out of US jurisdiction.
* The crew intends to "export" freshly-grown vegetables and microbrewed beer, mead and wine once they've settled in. (There are no less than four
hobbyist brewers in the crew.)
* One of the barns currently holds sufficient building materials and tools to erect at least two more houses, should the need arise.
Support Fleet:
SS Salvage I
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: Cement-mixer crew capsule atop tanker-truck body
Drive Type: Speed (.08c)
Owner of Record: The Warriors Group, Ltd.
Main Use: Shuttle, cargo
Known Crew: Bob Schroeck, Peggy Schroeck
Known Vehicle Quirks: Requires the presence of at least one gallon of genuine hydrazine fuel
somewhere onboard or its drive will not function. Given how explosive hydrazine is, this is can be nervewracking for the crew. Navigational computer (non-AI)
speaks with the voice of Andy Griffith.
SC Saturn 0
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2002 Saturn SL1
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Bob Schroeck
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Bob Schroeck, Peggy Schroeck
Known Vehicle Quirks: All the Saturns in the GC fleet emit a jet of flame worthy of their namesake
rocket predecessor from their rear when in flight. This flame obeys the Law of Slapstick; at worst it will cover with soot anything that comes in contact with
it. Radio/CD player self-selects with eerie appropriateness and cannot be turned off, although the volume can
be adjusted.
SC Benten
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2003 Hyundai Elantra
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Helen Imre
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Helen Imre, Attila Imre
Known Vehicle Quirks: (not yet determined)
SC Saturn 1
Creator: Bob Schroeck
Base Hull: 2001 Saturn SL1
Drive Type: Speed (.1c)
Owner of Record: Alison Mee
Main Use: Personal shuttle
Known Crew: Alison Mee, John Freiler
Known Vehicle Quirks: All the Saturns in the GC fleet emit a jet of flame worthy of their namesake
rocket predecessor from their rear when in flight. This flame obeys the Law of Slapstick; at worst it will cover with soot anything that comes in contact with
it. Loses 10% of rated speed when operated out of sight of the moon.
(There are several more support vehicles, which will be added as I write them up.)
(3/15/07 Edit: Peggy reminded me last night that I had invited her brother Jim's family into the crew at Christmas, but had forgotten to include them all
this time. Peggy's also arguing with me about the need to have real rain on the ship. )
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Feinan
12-22-2006, 02:08 PM
Ship Name: SS Fateful Lightning (sometimes called the Temple)
Created by Kevin Eaches (Feinan)
Registry Number: MOERAE-003-N1
Base Hull: Semi cab, 36 semi trailers welded together along with miscellaneous bits.
Drive Type: Speed (max velocity 0.05c)
Owner of Record: Kevin "The Jason" Eaches
Flag of Record: Nominally, the United States of America
Purpose: Biomod laboratory, home, some asteroid mining (well...farming)
Launched: June 21, 2008
Crew:
* Kevin "The Jason" Eaches (Captain)
* Clotho (AI - Science Officer, Lab Caretaker, Medical Officer)
* Lachesis (AI - Quartermaster, Ship Maintenance, Motherhen)
* Atropos (AI - Engineer, Weapon's Officer)
* Fate (AI - First Officer, Navigator/Helmsman, Communications)
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* SC Merlin - ship's shuttle, a 'waved 1996 Toyota Tercel
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* On the Road Again: The ship's engine is finicky, and the rated speed is halved if music that the engine likes isn't played while it's in use. Said music mostly consists of trucker songs or songs about traveling. Examples known to work are: On the Road Again, White Line Fever, Driving a Truck With My High Heels On, Wolf Creek Pass, Beep Beep (Little Nash Rambler), Little Old Lady From Pasadena and Bat Out of Hell.
* I Never Drink...Wine: The part of the ship known as The Garden has absorbed the superstition that blood affects the fertility of the land, and it takes a bit of upkeep. In order to maintain the illusion of a natural landscape on Earth, it requires a blood sacrifice every other day or so; otherwise, the effects start to fade. Usually, a few drops of blood on the ground or on exposed handwavium is enough.
* Well, Where Would You EXPECT Goddesses to Live?: This quirk is responsible for the ship's nickname; it's not often one sees a Greek temple floating through space. Originally, the large mass of trailers were simply painted dark blue with stylized marble columns on the corners, and a painting of the three Fates on either side. The handwavium expanded upon this, so that the trailer section now looks like a multi-columned open-air temple reminiscent of Greek architecture. The three Fates move within its confines, their activity mostly determined by the ship's. When at rest, the Fates watch their Tapestry, or do small housekeeping chores. When the ship is moving, they are at work: Clotho spins glowing white thread that crackles with blue and gold lightning, Lachesis measures the threads and weaves them into the Tapestry, and Atropos clips them off where Lachesis marked them. It is also possible to look through the Temple; apparently, the handwavium coating is transmitting light from one side of the ship to the other to maintain the open-air illusion.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Animist: The Jason tends to view most things as alive, some just moreso than others. His Toyota was named Merlin long before it saw a coat of handwavium, and the DNA sequencer/synthesizer in his lab has been dubbed AGAThA after a favorite comic-book Mad. He pleads with things to work right, murmurs encouragement, and so on. Nothing on board (except the four AIs) has ever responded to him. So far.
* Pagan Technomancer: The Jason is eclectic pagan; the Garden actually contains a small stone altar tucked away in a secluded corner. Many of the handwavium items he has created have as much pagan ritual behind them as they do technical specifications. Whether this works by helping him focus the intent behind his creation, supersaturating the environment with ideas that resonate with what he wants to happen, or just causing the handwavium to go along with it to humor him, he's convinced that it helps his success rate with making handwaved items. He's never worked the numbers to tell; maybe it does.
* I'm a Toys R Us Kid: Except for Kevin, the rest of the Lightning's crew are AIs. This means that if they're going to do physical activities aboard the ship, they need drones that they can control. While the ship stocks a variety of drones that were cobbled together for specific purposes, Kevin tends to view toy stores as a perfectly good source of ready-made stock. Why bother to cobble something together from scratch when the toy manufacturers have already got something that just needs a few little modifications and some goo? Besides the made-to-order drones, the ship is crewed/serviced by everything from a modified Robosapiens to tiny electric track race cars, all overseen by Fate and the three Sisters. If you can find it in a toy store, it might be a crewmember. But not Furbies. Never Furbies.
* Must Consume Mass Quantities: This is a recent development, as the Jason has just undergone a self-prescribed biomod procedure (You know what they say about lawyers who have themselves for a client....does that apply to biomodders? Physician, screw thyself?). Between a metabolic rate that has apparently shot through the roof and what appears to be a mental overlay that encourages working out/'training', Kevin is frequently finding that he's eating two to three times the amount of food that he was before...without gaining any weight. And he wasn't exactly a small eater BEFORE the biomod.
* Aspects of Fate: With personalities/viewpoints based on the Greek Fates, the ship's AIs also tend to have hobbies that are appropriate for the Fates. Clotho is into traditional fortunetelling, whether it be astrology or Tarot, and will sulk if she doesn't get her daily horoscope. Lachesis is the most physically-oriented of the AIs, and has drones capable of spinning thread and manning a loom. She weaves fabrics and tapestries, and her efforts adorn various walls in the living quarters. Atropos is interested in another aspect of fortunetelling, and plays the stock market. Although she sticks to penny stocks, she seems to be VERY good at it, and Kevin sometimes suspects that she discusses various trends with Fate. Fate herself prefers to play the 'mysterious Oracle' role, giving cryptic announcements that after the fact seem to be spot on. She also people-watches, analyzing the news and headlines to try to see where things are going. She is FAR too good at both the probability analysis when it comes to people, and in the oracle role...to the point that even Kevin isn't quite sure if she can actually see the future or not.
* Block Parents: All of the crew of the Lightning are protective of fenkinder, and notorious soft touches. Any fenkinder that show up at the Jason's airlock are guaranteed a hot meal, a place to crash, and a shoulder to lean/cry on at need. Likewise, anyone trying to threaten/harm one of the fenkinder around the crew should probably make themselves scarce, quickly.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Port Phobos, Phobos (though the ship spends most of its time in the Belt)
Current Location: En route to Port Phobos from the Asteroid Belt.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* In all fairness, the Jason should probably have been exiled from Earth as the Professor was. However, he's much more camera-shy as a Mad and not given to city-wide destructive sprees, which tends to make people overlook him. This is probably a bad idea. Fortunately, his lab containment procedures are fairly tight, and the experiment he would eventually dub the 'tribble rose' never managed to escape. Destroyed for safety's sake, the only remnants now reside as cell samples in a lab freezer, waiting to arise once more to devour the worl...*ahem*...in case they can ever be turned to useful ends
* The ship's library has what is probably the largest filk collection in space. Filkers who contact the ship and wind up speaking with Atropos will probably wonder why Juanita Coulson is on board, since Atropos' voice is based on hers.
* Among other things, the Jason will supply Christmas/Yule evergreens to those Fen who long for a traditional holiday in space. Anyone wishing to purchase a tree should apply early, and trees are usually delivered about a month in advance to allow for a final bit of 'growing time'. Special arrangements can be made if needed, of course.
* Kevin has been emailing the more creative and Mad-inclined among the Fen, trying to organize a Mad Scientists' Union, or at the very least a monthly newsletter of experiments, major planetary bodies destroyed, etc.
--Feinan
Created by Kevin Eaches (Feinan)
Registry Number: MOERAE-003-N1
Base Hull: Semi cab, 36 semi trailers welded together along with miscellaneous bits.
Drive Type: Speed (max velocity 0.05c)
Owner of Record: Kevin "The Jason" Eaches
Flag of Record: Nominally, the United States of America
Purpose: Biomod laboratory, home, some asteroid mining (well...farming)
Launched: June 21, 2008
Crew:
* Kevin "The Jason" Eaches (Captain)
* Clotho (AI - Science Officer, Lab Caretaker, Medical Officer)
* Lachesis (AI - Quartermaster, Ship Maintenance, Motherhen)
* Atropos (AI - Engineer, Weapon's Officer)
* Fate (AI - First Officer, Navigator/Helmsman, Communications)
Auxiliary Vehicles:
* SC Merlin - ship's shuttle, a 'waved 1996 Toyota Tercel
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* On the Road Again: The ship's engine is finicky, and the rated speed is halved if music that the engine likes isn't played while it's in use. Said music mostly consists of trucker songs or songs about traveling. Examples known to work are: On the Road Again, White Line Fever, Driving a Truck With My High Heels On, Wolf Creek Pass, Beep Beep (Little Nash Rambler), Little Old Lady From Pasadena and Bat Out of Hell.
* I Never Drink...Wine: The part of the ship known as The Garden has absorbed the superstition that blood affects the fertility of the land, and it takes a bit of upkeep. In order to maintain the illusion of a natural landscape on Earth, it requires a blood sacrifice every other day or so; otherwise, the effects start to fade. Usually, a few drops of blood on the ground or on exposed handwavium is enough.
* Well, Where Would You EXPECT Goddesses to Live?: This quirk is responsible for the ship's nickname; it's not often one sees a Greek temple floating through space. Originally, the large mass of trailers were simply painted dark blue with stylized marble columns on the corners, and a painting of the three Fates on either side. The handwavium expanded upon this, so that the trailer section now looks like a multi-columned open-air temple reminiscent of Greek architecture. The three Fates move within its confines, their activity mostly determined by the ship's. When at rest, the Fates watch their Tapestry, or do small housekeeping chores. When the ship is moving, they are at work: Clotho spins glowing white thread that crackles with blue and gold lightning, Lachesis measures the threads and weaves them into the Tapestry, and Atropos clips them off where Lachesis marked them. It is also possible to look through the Temple; apparently, the handwavium coating is transmitting light from one side of the ship to the other to maintain the open-air illusion.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Animist: The Jason tends to view most things as alive, some just moreso than others. His Toyota was named Merlin long before it saw a coat of handwavium, and the DNA sequencer/synthesizer in his lab has been dubbed AGAThA after a favorite comic-book Mad. He pleads with things to work right, murmurs encouragement, and so on. Nothing on board (except the four AIs) has ever responded to him. So far.
* Pagan Technomancer: The Jason is eclectic pagan; the Garden actually contains a small stone altar tucked away in a secluded corner. Many of the handwavium items he has created have as much pagan ritual behind them as they do technical specifications. Whether this works by helping him focus the intent behind his creation, supersaturating the environment with ideas that resonate with what he wants to happen, or just causing the handwavium to go along with it to humor him, he's convinced that it helps his success rate with making handwaved items. He's never worked the numbers to tell; maybe it does.
* I'm a Toys R Us Kid: Except for Kevin, the rest of the Lightning's crew are AIs. This means that if they're going to do physical activities aboard the ship, they need drones that they can control. While the ship stocks a variety of drones that were cobbled together for specific purposes, Kevin tends to view toy stores as a perfectly good source of ready-made stock. Why bother to cobble something together from scratch when the toy manufacturers have already got something that just needs a few little modifications and some goo? Besides the made-to-order drones, the ship is crewed/serviced by everything from a modified Robosapiens to tiny electric track race cars, all overseen by Fate and the three Sisters. If you can find it in a toy store, it might be a crewmember. But not Furbies. Never Furbies.
* Must Consume Mass Quantities: This is a recent development, as the Jason has just undergone a self-prescribed biomod procedure (You know what they say about lawyers who have themselves for a client....does that apply to biomodders? Physician, screw thyself?). Between a metabolic rate that has apparently shot through the roof and what appears to be a mental overlay that encourages working out/'training', Kevin is frequently finding that he's eating two to three times the amount of food that he was before...without gaining any weight. And he wasn't exactly a small eater BEFORE the biomod.
* Aspects of Fate: With personalities/viewpoints based on the Greek Fates, the ship's AIs also tend to have hobbies that are appropriate for the Fates. Clotho is into traditional fortunetelling, whether it be astrology or Tarot, and will sulk if she doesn't get her daily horoscope. Lachesis is the most physically-oriented of the AIs, and has drones capable of spinning thread and manning a loom. She weaves fabrics and tapestries, and her efforts adorn various walls in the living quarters. Atropos is interested in another aspect of fortunetelling, and plays the stock market. Although she sticks to penny stocks, she seems to be VERY good at it, and Kevin sometimes suspects that she discusses various trends with Fate. Fate herself prefers to play the 'mysterious Oracle' role, giving cryptic announcements that after the fact seem to be spot on. She also people-watches, analyzing the news and headlines to try to see where things are going. She is FAR too good at both the probability analysis when it comes to people, and in the oracle role...to the point that even Kevin isn't quite sure if she can actually see the future or not.
* Block Parents: All of the crew of the Lightning are protective of fenkinder, and notorious soft touches. Any fenkinder that show up at the Jason's airlock are guaranteed a hot meal, a place to crash, and a shoulder to lean/cry on at need. Likewise, anyone trying to threaten/harm one of the fenkinder around the crew should probably make themselves scarce, quickly.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Port Phobos, Phobos (though the ship spends most of its time in the Belt)
Current Location: En route to Port Phobos from the Asteroid Belt.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* In all fairness, the Jason should probably have been exiled from Earth as the Professor was. However, he's much more camera-shy as a Mad and not given to city-wide destructive sprees, which tends to make people overlook him. This is probably a bad idea. Fortunately, his lab containment procedures are fairly tight, and the experiment he would eventually dub the 'tribble rose' never managed to escape. Destroyed for safety's sake, the only remnants now reside as cell samples in a lab freezer, waiting to arise once more to devour the worl...*ahem*...in case they can ever be turned to useful ends
* The ship's library has what is probably the largest filk collection in space. Filkers who contact the ship and wind up speaking with Atropos will probably wonder why Juanita Coulson is on board, since Atropos' voice is based on hers.
* Among other things, the Jason will supply Christmas/Yule evergreens to those Fen who long for a traditional holiday in space. Anyone wishing to purchase a tree should apply early, and trees are usually delivered about a month in advance to allow for a final bit of 'growing time'. Special arrangements can be made if needed, of course.
* Kevin has been emailing the more creative and Mad-inclined among the Fen, trying to organize a Mad Scientists' Union, or at the very least a monthly newsletter of experiments, major planetary bodies destroyed, etc.
--Feinan
Anpwhotep
12-23-2006, 01:20 PM
Ship Name: Maxmilian MacManus
Created by: Bill Hartwell (Anpwhotep)
Registry Number: Registry number?!?!? Next you'll be wanting ID CARDS! I burned my ID card when I left Earth! I'm sure not gonna saddle my KIDS with any slave numbers! (Calm down, Dad. Just tell them my callsign is SKULL-1 or something, all right?)
Base Hull: Custom, hand-built (Looks like a VF-1S)
Drive Type: Acceleration/Speed (The acceleration thrusters contain enough reaction mass for about 30 seconds at 5 Gs, so are used only in circumstances where the acceleration can throw off someone who's expecting a standard 'wavetech drive.)
Owner of Record: Fred MacManus
Purpose: Personal transportation and defense
Launched: August 8, 2008
Crew:
* Fred MacManus
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Zen AI: Max is noted for a very mellow outlook on life. In fact, the more wound up Fred gets, the more mellow Max gets - as if Max is deliberately countering Fred's excitement with his own mellowness.
* Max's power supply requires constant exposure to mecha anime in order to work. Contrary to what you'd expect, given his appearance and name, Macross is NOT the power supply's favorite show, either. Instead, it prefers Daiguard and Nadesico. Meanwhile, the gun pod, which has a separate power supply, requires input of Wagner and Tchaikovsky before it will put out enough energy to power the gatling laser. At the same time, Max likes watching yoga and meditation videos, and has stored copies of every Buddhist, Taoist, and Shinto text he could get his digital fingers on.
* Max's structure sparkles as if impregnated with powdered diamond. In fact, that's exactly what it is impregnated with. He started out as a full-sized model of a VF-1S built out of an experimental plastic made of Lexan and diamond dust, activated by handwavium. He describes it as "classical AD&D Adamantine, made with plastic instead of silver."
Known Crew Quirks:
* Fred relates better to AIs than he does to human beings. In a crowd of humans and AIs, he's likely to ignore the humans in favor of conversing with the AIs, unless the humans are friends.
* Fred's characters have been awakened by his exposure to handwavium. Now, he doesn't just share headspace with them when he's writing - he shares headspace with them ALL the time. This has caused some problems in the past, like the time he showed up to negotiate a deal for a delivery of nitrogen to Pallas, and Alex (female fighter jock character) decided it would be more interesting to try and get a deal for an order of depleted uranium and a metal-working lathe.
* Fred is heavily afflicted by what some people call "Decker's Euphoria" (but Edgar calls it "a damned pain in the ass") - when he's jacked in to ANY system, whether it's Max, David, or even a mundane computer network, he loses all track of his physical self and requires an external monitor to keep him from dying of dehydration, starvation, or other environmental hazards.
Faction: Principality of Laputa
Home Port: Pallas
Current Location: En route to Phobos from Pallas
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Principality of Laputa is what Fred calls Pallas whenever he is forced to deal with anyone who even SOUNDS like a government official. He hates government the way The Doctor hates Daleks, and created the Principality as a means of yanking the chain of those who are afflicted with that particular form of insanity. When dealing with them, he refers to himself as Prince Frederick the First.
* Fred was one of the first members of Kevin's "Mad Scientists Union" - his specialty is robotics and cybernetic interfaces.--
Homepage: http://www.macmanusnet.net
Sailor Moon Fanfiction: http://crystal.macmanusnet.net
--
Homepage: http://www.macmanusnet.net
Sailor Moon Fanfiction: http://crystal.macmanusnet.net
Created by: Bill Hartwell (Anpwhotep)
Registry Number: Registry number?!?!? Next you'll be wanting ID CARDS! I burned my ID card when I left Earth! I'm sure not gonna saddle my KIDS with any slave numbers! (Calm down, Dad. Just tell them my callsign is SKULL-1 or something, all right?)
Base Hull: Custom, hand-built (Looks like a VF-1S)
Drive Type: Acceleration/Speed (The acceleration thrusters contain enough reaction mass for about 30 seconds at 5 Gs, so are used only in circumstances where the acceleration can throw off someone who's expecting a standard 'wavetech drive.)
Owner of Record: Fred MacManus
Purpose: Personal transportation and defense
Launched: August 8, 2008
Crew:
* Fred MacManus
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Zen AI: Max is noted for a very mellow outlook on life. In fact, the more wound up Fred gets, the more mellow Max gets - as if Max is deliberately countering Fred's excitement with his own mellowness.
* Max's power supply requires constant exposure to mecha anime in order to work. Contrary to what you'd expect, given his appearance and name, Macross is NOT the power supply's favorite show, either. Instead, it prefers Daiguard and Nadesico. Meanwhile, the gun pod, which has a separate power supply, requires input of Wagner and Tchaikovsky before it will put out enough energy to power the gatling laser. At the same time, Max likes watching yoga and meditation videos, and has stored copies of every Buddhist, Taoist, and Shinto text he could get his digital fingers on.
* Max's structure sparkles as if impregnated with powdered diamond. In fact, that's exactly what it is impregnated with. He started out as a full-sized model of a VF-1S built out of an experimental plastic made of Lexan and diamond dust, activated by handwavium. He describes it as "classical AD&D Adamantine, made with plastic instead of silver."
Known Crew Quirks:
* Fred relates better to AIs than he does to human beings. In a crowd of humans and AIs, he's likely to ignore the humans in favor of conversing with the AIs, unless the humans are friends.
* Fred's characters have been awakened by his exposure to handwavium. Now, he doesn't just share headspace with them when he's writing - he shares headspace with them ALL the time. This has caused some problems in the past, like the time he showed up to negotiate a deal for a delivery of nitrogen to Pallas, and Alex (female fighter jock character) decided it would be more interesting to try and get a deal for an order of depleted uranium and a metal-working lathe.
* Fred is heavily afflicted by what some people call "Decker's Euphoria" (but Edgar calls it "a damned pain in the ass") - when he's jacked in to ANY system, whether it's Max, David, or even a mundane computer network, he loses all track of his physical self and requires an external monitor to keep him from dying of dehydration, starvation, or other environmental hazards.
Faction: Principality of Laputa
Home Port: Pallas
Current Location: En route to Phobos from Pallas
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Principality of Laputa is what Fred calls Pallas whenever he is forced to deal with anyone who even SOUNDS like a government official. He hates government the way The Doctor hates Daleks, and created the Principality as a means of yanking the chain of those who are afflicted with that particular form of insanity. When dealing with them, he refers to himself as Prince Frederick the First.
* Fred was one of the first members of Kevin's "Mad Scientists Union" - his specialty is robotics and cybernetic interfaces.--
Homepage: http://www.macmanusnet.net
Sailor Moon Fanfiction: http://crystal.macmanusnet.net
--
Homepage: http://www.macmanusnet.net
Sailor Moon Fanfiction: http://crystal.macmanusnet.net
12-27-2006, 03:46 AM
Being re-worked since people pointed things out to me that I didn;t know before.
---ManagementWhen engaging, nothing beats a full frontal.
*********************
In the epic rage of furious thunder
legends create their tales
when the twilight calls and the dark lord falls
our glory will prevail
![[Image: strikersetcfinal9_th.jpg]](http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/forums/uploads/strikersetcfinal9_th.jpg)
---ManagementWhen engaging, nothing beats a full frontal.
*********************
In the epic rage of furious thunder
legends create their tales
when the twilight calls and the dark lord falls
our glory will prevail
12-27-2006, 10:19 AM
Ship Name: Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia
Created by Rob Kelk
Registry Number: L5-A
Base Hull: Six NASA Space Shuttle main fuel tanks welded together, supplemented with four years of steady construction
Drive Type: Speed (gravity drive) (max velocity 0.000001c)
Owner of Record: Stellvia Corp. (wholly-owned by Noah Scott)
Flag of Record: Australia (formerly United States of America)
Purpose: Tourist Resort / Trading Station
Launched: 4 April 2008
Crew:
* N. Scott (Commander)
* Y. Nikaido (Security Chief, "Number One")
* S. Hasegawa (Chief Engineer)
* K. Li (Engineer)
* Y. Fujisawa (Pilot)
* many others, as-yet-unnamed
Known Vehicle Quirks:
None. (Yes, "none". It's a space station where the only 'wavium used is in the hull and the gravity tech (drive and artificial gravity) - quirky gravtech gets ripped and replaced to keep the customers happy, and what can possibly be quirky about a hull?)
Known Crew Quirks:
See the writeups in the Characters Thread.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Itself.
Current Location: Earth-Luna L5 Point
Status: ACTIVE / Background
Trivia:
* While many fen craft are named after fictional ships and stations, the Stellvia is one of the few whose name was licenced by the owner from the writer who coined the name.
* Stellvia beat the Warsie L5 base into operation by exactly one month - that base could have been operational earlier, but the Warsies wanted to open it on Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (be with you) 2008.
Ship Name: SS Epsilon Blade
Created by Rob Kelk
Registry Number: L5-A-001
Base Hull: Custom (two-deck scoutship)
Drive Type: Speed (gravity drive) (max velocity 0.05c)
Owner of Record: Noah Scott
Flag of Record: Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia
Purpose: Personal yacht
Launched: 21 March 2008
Crew:
* N. Scott (Commander/Gunner)
* Y. Fujisawa (Pilot)
* S. Hasegawa (Engineer)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* None.
Unknown Vehicle Quirks:
* The Epsilon Blade has developed a personality at the "puppy dog" level of awareness, and feels some affection for its pilot. This is not known to its pilot or the rest of the crew, and will likely remain unknown unless a different pilot attempts to fly the ship.
Known Crew Quirks:
See the writeups in the Characters Thread.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia
Current Location: Phobos Base, Mars
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Epsilon Blade is named after two deceased friends of the ship's owner.
Deckplan:
Upper Deck, forward to aft: Bridge, stairs to lower deck, lounge/galley, crew cabin, weapons locker, upper deck engineering (primarily turret machinery and upper half of engines).
Lower Deck, forward to aft: Owner's cabin, stairs to upper deck, 'fresher, airlock, hold, lower deck engineering.
The engines were twin ion thrusters (photo) before being handwaved.
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Created by Rob Kelk
Registry Number: L5-A
Base Hull: Six NASA Space Shuttle main fuel tanks welded together, supplemented with four years of steady construction
Drive Type: Speed (gravity drive) (max velocity 0.000001c)
Owner of Record: Stellvia Corp. (wholly-owned by Noah Scott)
Flag of Record: Australia (formerly United States of America)
Purpose: Tourist Resort / Trading Station
Launched: 4 April 2008
Crew:
* N. Scott (Commander)
* Y. Nikaido (Security Chief, "Number One")
* S. Hasegawa (Chief Engineer)
* K. Li (Engineer)
* Y. Fujisawa (Pilot)
* many others, as-yet-unnamed
Known Vehicle Quirks:
None. (Yes, "none". It's a space station where the only 'wavium used is in the hull and the gravity tech (drive and artificial gravity) - quirky gravtech gets ripped and replaced to keep the customers happy, and what can possibly be quirky about a hull?)
Known Crew Quirks:
See the writeups in the Characters Thread.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Itself.
Current Location: Earth-Luna L5 Point
Status: ACTIVE / Background
Trivia:
* While many fen craft are named after fictional ships and stations, the Stellvia is one of the few whose name was licenced by the owner from the writer who coined the name.
* Stellvia beat the Warsie L5 base into operation by exactly one month - that base could have been operational earlier, but the Warsies wanted to open it on Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (be with you) 2008.
Ship Name: SS Epsilon Blade
Created by Rob Kelk
Registry Number: L5-A-001
Base Hull: Custom (two-deck scoutship)
Drive Type: Speed (gravity drive) (max velocity 0.05c)
Owner of Record: Noah Scott
Flag of Record: Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia
Purpose: Personal yacht
Launched: 21 March 2008
Crew:
* N. Scott (Commander/Gunner)
* Y. Fujisawa (Pilot)
* S. Hasegawa (Engineer)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* None.
Unknown Vehicle Quirks:
* The Epsilon Blade has developed a personality at the "puppy dog" level of awareness, and feels some affection for its pilot. This is not known to its pilot or the rest of the crew, and will likely remain unknown unless a different pilot attempts to fly the ship.
Known Crew Quirks:
See the writeups in the Characters Thread.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia
Current Location: Phobos Base, Mars
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* The Epsilon Blade is named after two deceased friends of the ship's owner.
Deckplan:
Upper Deck, forward to aft: Bridge, stairs to lower deck, lounge/galley, crew cabin, weapons locker, upper deck engineering (primarily turret machinery and upper half of engines).
Lower Deck, forward to aft: Owner's cabin, stairs to upper deck, 'fresher, airlock, hold, lower deck engineering.
The engines were twin ion thrusters (photo) before being handwaved.
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Freddy Isnot
12-28-2006, 10:08 AM
Ship Name: SuperBall
Created by Freddy Isnot
Registry Number: I am not a number
Base Hull: Spaceball gyroscope enclosed in a plastic shell
Drive Type: Speed (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Juhan
Purpose: Personal transportation
Launched: May 4, 2008
Crew:
* Juhan
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* The drive is broken, it must bounce off another object before changing course. It makes use of the Slapstick Effect to not seriously damage other spaceships.
* The SuperBall refuses to accept computer navigation.
* The outer shell of the SuperBall is constantly spinning while the inside remains stationary.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Juhan uses Handwavium as a hair gel. It is not yet known what effect this has on his hair.
* Despite his accuracy in calculating the spin and bounce of the SuperBall, Juhan sucks on the pool table.
Faction: Un-aligned
Home Port:
Current Location: Mars
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* As a tribute to the movie, Explorers, Juhan searched for a junked carnival ride to use as a hull. He finally found a rental company selling off an old Spaceball gyroscope.
* Juhan's inspiration for using the Handwavium was Flubber from "The Absent-Minded Professor."
* Changes of direction are performed by deliberately running into an object and adjusting the spin of the SuperBall to achieve the desired angle of deflection.
* Is also sometimes seen hitching a ride on other spaceships by means of a grapple and rope.
* All navigation is performed with a telescope, star chart, ruler, protractor, compass, pencil and paper, and a TI-89 calculator.
* Juhan launched SuperBall on his birthday.
* The SuperBall has to be launched by dribbling it until it bounces high enough to escape gravity.
Freddy Isnot
I have a peculiar taste in these matters.
~Sherlock Holmes, _The Naval Treaty_
-Freddy Isnot
"You are now graduated from newbie and are just clueless. Consider that a compliment."
-Zipcode
Created by Freddy Isnot
Registry Number: I am not a number
Base Hull: Spaceball gyroscope enclosed in a plastic shell
Drive Type: Speed (max velocity 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Juhan
Purpose: Personal transportation
Launched: May 4, 2008
Crew:
* Juhan
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* The drive is broken, it must bounce off another object before changing course. It makes use of the Slapstick Effect to not seriously damage other spaceships.
* The SuperBall refuses to accept computer navigation.
* The outer shell of the SuperBall is constantly spinning while the inside remains stationary.
Known Crew Quirks:
* Juhan uses Handwavium as a hair gel. It is not yet known what effect this has on his hair.
* Despite his accuracy in calculating the spin and bounce of the SuperBall, Juhan sucks on the pool table.
Faction: Un-aligned
Home Port:
Current Location: Mars
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* As a tribute to the movie, Explorers, Juhan searched for a junked carnival ride to use as a hull. He finally found a rental company selling off an old Spaceball gyroscope.
* Juhan's inspiration for using the Handwavium was Flubber from "The Absent-Minded Professor."
* Changes of direction are performed by deliberately running into an object and adjusting the spin of the SuperBall to achieve the desired angle of deflection.
* Is also sometimes seen hitching a ride on other spaceships by means of a grapple and rope.
* All navigation is performed with a telescope, star chart, ruler, protractor, compass, pencil and paper, and a TI-89 calculator.
* Juhan launched SuperBall on his birthday.
* The SuperBall has to be launched by dribbling it until it bounces high enough to escape gravity.
Freddy Isnot
I have a peculiar taste in these matters.
~Sherlock Holmes, _The Naval Treaty_
-Freddy Isnot
"You are now graduated from newbie and are just clueless. Consider that a compliment."
-Zipcode
12-30-2006, 01:47 PM
Ship Name: SS Admiral Heinlein
Created by Duane E. Peters
Registry Number: UESC001
Base Hull: Prevost H5-60 articulated bus/RV conversion
Drive Type: Acceleration (Reactionless gravitic, constant-acceleration type, max accelleration is +/-5g)
Alternate Drive Type: Not yet revealed.
Owner of Record: Duane Erik Peters
Flag of Record: New Zealand
Purpose: Passenger and freight delivery
Launched: September 21, 2009
Crew:
Duane E. Peters, Captain/Owner
June Waterman, First Officer/Voice of Reason
Supplementary Crew:
Durandal (Ship engineering AI)
Leela (Defensive systems AI)
Excel (C3I AI, nutjob)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
"Fibber McGee's Closet": the Closet is an "N-space gravitic pocket" with a *low* sense of humor. June can open it and access it normally; if Duane opens it, he'll be *deluged* with random items, most broken or in some other way useless, before being able to access anything at all. If someone not on the crew opens it, it might be full of bowling balls...
"Three Stooges Alpha Complex": The ship's computers were all kluged together from Duane's home network, and affected at the time of The Accident. None of the computers will take orders from anyone but the two crew to date; everyone else who's tried has been humiliated or worse.
*Durandal is a Mac G4 Cube, with a personality from the old "Marathon" Mac game. A physical coward and paranoiac, who took his appearance and mannerisms from Malcom McDowell in "Star Trek: Generations", he's kept mostly under control by...
*Leela. The second of the triumvirate of computers aboard the colony ship Marathon, Leela's personality was affected by the Companion of the same name from the Tom Baker Dr. Who run he was downloading off the 'Net at the time of the Accident. Leela is in control of defensive and sensor systems. The third computer, Tycho, from the same game was a homicidal maniac, so Duane instead built the third personality from scratch, creating...
*Excel XL. Duane's only referent (he's *not* much of an anime fan) for her was the Undocumented Features fanfic, so he cheated a bit and added in some Cowboy Bebop to arrive at the third of the triumvirate. Other than an extremely odd pattern of speech and the occasional piece of info she "just happened to have" from hacking the NSA/NASA/TESB/TLA, she *seems* to be completely reliable...
Known Crew Quirks:
"The Accident": Duane is the only person known to have gotten *drunk* on 'fermented' 'Wavium, due to an accident with the old pressure cooker he was breeding it in. It coated the computers and most of his library when it exploded; he spent a week he still doesn't remember drunk out of his mind on the stuff, and ended up with mathematical abilities to make Reed Richards cry, a *massive* three-day-Tiajuana-drunk-on-cheap-tequilla hangover...and a Black Box he doesn't remember building.
"Yes, but does it go with my eyes?": June is a clotheshorse par excellance. She has not yet been seen twice at any con in the same costume (somethimes three or four costume changes daily), and likes to show off her eye-popping figure and waist-length hair.
"Roll 3D6 and divide by purple": the crew are avid role-playing gamers and Discordians, and like their settings to match their sense of humor, i.e. *massively* weird. They're still looking for the Floating Vagabond out in the 'Belt in their free time...
Faction: Long Heinleinian, Discordian Pope
Home Port: Wellington International Spaceport, New Zealand
Current Location: Phobos, Mars
Status: ACTIVE
Created by Duane E. Peters
Registry Number: UESC001
Base Hull: Prevost H5-60 articulated bus/RV conversion
Drive Type: Acceleration (Reactionless gravitic, constant-acceleration type, max accelleration is +/-5g)
Alternate Drive Type: Not yet revealed.
Owner of Record: Duane Erik Peters
Flag of Record: New Zealand
Purpose: Passenger and freight delivery
Launched: September 21, 2009
Crew:
Duane E. Peters, Captain/Owner
June Waterman, First Officer/Voice of Reason
Supplementary Crew:
Durandal (Ship engineering AI)
Leela (Defensive systems AI)
Excel (C3I AI, nutjob)
Known Vehicle Quirks:
"Fibber McGee's Closet": the Closet is an "N-space gravitic pocket" with a *low* sense of humor. June can open it and access it normally; if Duane opens it, he'll be *deluged* with random items, most broken or in some other way useless, before being able to access anything at all. If someone not on the crew opens it, it might be full of bowling balls...
"Three Stooges Alpha Complex": The ship's computers were all kluged together from Duane's home network, and affected at the time of The Accident. None of the computers will take orders from anyone but the two crew to date; everyone else who's tried has been humiliated or worse.
*Durandal is a Mac G4 Cube, with a personality from the old "Marathon" Mac game. A physical coward and paranoiac, who took his appearance and mannerisms from Malcom McDowell in "Star Trek: Generations", he's kept mostly under control by...
*Leela. The second of the triumvirate of computers aboard the colony ship Marathon, Leela's personality was affected by the Companion of the same name from the Tom Baker Dr. Who run he was downloading off the 'Net at the time of the Accident. Leela is in control of defensive and sensor systems. The third computer, Tycho, from the same game was a homicidal maniac, so Duane instead built the third personality from scratch, creating...
*Excel XL. Duane's only referent (he's *not* much of an anime fan) for her was the Undocumented Features fanfic, so he cheated a bit and added in some Cowboy Bebop to arrive at the third of the triumvirate. Other than an extremely odd pattern of speech and the occasional piece of info she "just happened to have" from hacking the NSA/NASA/TESB/TLA, she *seems* to be completely reliable...
Known Crew Quirks:
"The Accident": Duane is the only person known to have gotten *drunk* on 'fermented' 'Wavium, due to an accident with the old pressure cooker he was breeding it in. It coated the computers and most of his library when it exploded; he spent a week he still doesn't remember drunk out of his mind on the stuff, and ended up with mathematical abilities to make Reed Richards cry, a *massive* three-day-Tiajuana-drunk-on-cheap-tequilla hangover...and a Black Box he doesn't remember building.
"Yes, but does it go with my eyes?": June is a clotheshorse par excellance. She has not yet been seen twice at any con in the same costume (somethimes three or four costume changes daily), and likes to show off her eye-popping figure and waist-length hair.
"Roll 3D6 and divide by purple": the crew are avid role-playing gamers and Discordians, and like their settings to match their sense of humor, i.e. *massively* weird. They're still looking for the Floating Vagabond out in the 'Belt in their free time...
Faction: Long Heinleinian, Discordian Pope
Home Port: Wellington International Spaceport, New Zealand
Current Location: Phobos, Mars
Status: ACTIVE
01-02-2007, 10:55 PM
Ship Name: Qin Shihuangdi
Created by Geoff Depew (talienas)
Registry Number: AMOS-552
Base Hull: Currier and Ives Silo
Drive Type: Speed (Pitch Field reactionless engine) (max velocity 0.1C). Also (very secretly) possesses a 'Breaker Gate' wormhole-generator, but use of that causes a tremendous power drain; the ship requires days to recharge after using, and only uses it in the direst of emergencies. The Breaker Gate has a range of approximately 1 light-hour (1 billion KM).
Owner of Record: Extranational Operations, LLC.
Flag of Record: Mars
Purpose: Investigation, recording and protection
Launched: September 28, 2009
Crew:
* Geoff Depew (Captain)
Supplementary Crew:
* Qin (AI, "living ship") (pronounced 'Kin')
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Violence Only Begets Violence: No matter what happens, the Qin will not use maximum force as an initial opening combat gambit. Its main weapon, the Cadence Lance, is able to destroy most missiles; its defences are good against most larger weapons. This does not mean it will not use that level of force, just that it'll never START with it.
* This Little One's Not Worth The Effort: with the first one in mind, the fact the ship will urge diplomatic solutions should be clear, and a ship approaching in communications with the Qin will never be allowed to be attacked first.
* Hong Kong Action Theatre: Qin like Hong Kong action movies, and works best if shown one daily. Efficiency drops by 50% after 24 hours without exposure to some. It also drops immediately, until another one is shown, if the ship is shown either 'Kill Bill' movie, or 'The Musketeer'. (Interestingly, 'Big Trouble in Little China' fits the bill as well.)
Known Crew Quirks:
* The immense disembodied intelligence that is linked, in part, to Geoff Depew (He's got theories, but no proof), will push him to take actions that do not quite make sense immediately, but eventually push things where he needs them to go (which is not always where he WANTS them to go).
* It also sometimes passes information on to other people, causing his eyes to go dead black and his voice to take on an odd echoing quality.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Port Phobos, Phobos
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Has been offered cash amounts in the millions to allow someone access to the Qin's technology to figure it out, has refused every time.
* Has been seeking a nickle-iron asteroid to turn into an asteroid habitat for the purposes of setting up a living area and boarding school/college, because there will be another generation of Fen and they'll need to be educated. Brazil has decided you're cute.Brazil has decided you're cute.
Created by Geoff Depew (talienas)
Registry Number: AMOS-552
Base Hull: Currier and Ives Silo
Drive Type: Speed (Pitch Field reactionless engine) (max velocity 0.1C). Also (very secretly) possesses a 'Breaker Gate' wormhole-generator, but use of that causes a tremendous power drain; the ship requires days to recharge after using, and only uses it in the direst of emergencies. The Breaker Gate has a range of approximately 1 light-hour (1 billion KM).
Owner of Record: Extranational Operations, LLC.
Flag of Record: Mars
Purpose: Investigation, recording and protection
Launched: September 28, 2009
Crew:
* Geoff Depew (Captain)
Supplementary Crew:
* Qin (AI, "living ship") (pronounced 'Kin')
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* Violence Only Begets Violence: No matter what happens, the Qin will not use maximum force as an initial opening combat gambit. Its main weapon, the Cadence Lance, is able to destroy most missiles; its defences are good against most larger weapons. This does not mean it will not use that level of force, just that it'll never START with it.
* This Little One's Not Worth The Effort: with the first one in mind, the fact the ship will urge diplomatic solutions should be clear, and a ship approaching in communications with the Qin will never be allowed to be attacked first.
* Hong Kong Action Theatre: Qin like Hong Kong action movies, and works best if shown one daily. Efficiency drops by 50% after 24 hours without exposure to some. It also drops immediately, until another one is shown, if the ship is shown either 'Kill Bill' movie, or 'The Musketeer'. (Interestingly, 'Big Trouble in Little China' fits the bill as well.)
Known Crew Quirks:
* The immense disembodied intelligence that is linked, in part, to Geoff Depew (He's got theories, but no proof), will push him to take actions that do not quite make sense immediately, but eventually push things where he needs them to go (which is not always where he WANTS them to go).
* It also sometimes passes information on to other people, causing his eyes to go dead black and his voice to take on an odd echoing quality.
Faction: Non-Aligned
Home Port: Port Phobos, Phobos
Current Location: Port Phobos, Phobos
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
* Has been offered cash amounts in the millions to allow someone access to the Qin's technology to figure it out, has refused every time.
* Has been seeking a nickle-iron asteroid to turn into an asteroid habitat for the purposes of setting up a living area and boarding school/college, because there will be another generation of Fen and they'll need to be educated. Brazil has decided you're cute.Brazil has decided you're cute.
01-04-2007, 08:35 AM
Ship name: S. Hofwalls Field
Created by Morganni (Morgan)
Registry Number: ?
Base Hull: Relatively small chunk of ground with a few buildings on it.
Drive Type: Speed.
Owner: Thomas Morgan
Crew:
*Morgan
*Irene (Artificial Intelligence)
Purpose: Residence
Known quirks:
*Thinks it is a cat: Requires affection and catnip to work effectively. Lots of catnip.
Home Port: Incapable of landing under normal conditions. Usually found in a nice friendly orbit around Luna.
Notes:
*Morgan had worked long enough to get this house, he wasn't about to let go of it. Morgan saw Howl's Moving Castle. Morgan put pi and e together.
*Despite having come up with the name, Morgan almost never pronounces or writes it correctly. His usual rendering is "S. Hofwell's Field".
*"S." does not stand for Ship.
***
Ship Name: HDV Nanbara's Luck
Created by Morganni (Morgan)
Registry Number: ?
Base Hull: Relatively ordinary van
Drive Type: Speed. Also retains standard internal combustion powertrain.
Owner: Thomas Morgan
Crew:
*Morgan
*Irene (remote control, only works at relatively short distances)
Purpose: Basically a shuttlecraft.
Known quirks:
*Thinks it is a cat: See above. Has also been known to rub up against people nearby when unoccupied. Somehow manages to do this without injuring them, or in fact seeming to move.
Home Port: Hofwalls Field
Notes:
*Has memory plastic structures which, when activated, allow it to float in water.
*If the author decides a certain thing is a good idea, it'll go here.
*Drive can be controlled in several different ways
-Morgan, shameless? And seems to like the word 'relatively' today."I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, or espers here, come sleep with me."
---From "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
-----(Not really)
Created by Morganni (Morgan)
Registry Number: ?
Base Hull: Relatively small chunk of ground with a few buildings on it.
Drive Type: Speed.
Owner: Thomas Morgan
Crew:
*Morgan
*Irene (Artificial Intelligence)
Purpose: Residence
Known quirks:
*Thinks it is a cat: Requires affection and catnip to work effectively. Lots of catnip.
Home Port: Incapable of landing under normal conditions. Usually found in a nice friendly orbit around Luna.
Notes:
*Morgan had worked long enough to get this house, he wasn't about to let go of it. Morgan saw Howl's Moving Castle. Morgan put pi and e together.
*Despite having come up with the name, Morgan almost never pronounces or writes it correctly. His usual rendering is "S. Hofwell's Field".
*"S." does not stand for Ship.
***
Ship Name: HDV Nanbara's Luck
Created by Morganni (Morgan)
Registry Number: ?
Base Hull: Relatively ordinary van
Drive Type: Speed. Also retains standard internal combustion powertrain.
Owner: Thomas Morgan
Crew:
*Morgan
*Irene (remote control, only works at relatively short distances)
Purpose: Basically a shuttlecraft.
Known quirks:
*Thinks it is a cat: See above. Has also been known to rub up against people nearby when unoccupied. Somehow manages to do this without injuring them, or in fact seeming to move.
Home Port: Hofwalls Field
Notes:
*Has memory plastic structures which, when activated, allow it to float in water.
*If the author decides a certain thing is a good idea, it'll go here.
*Drive can be controlled in several different ways
-Morgan, shameless? And seems to like the word 'relatively' today."I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, or espers here, come sleep with me."
---From "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
-----(Not really)
01-04-2007, 09:35 PM
EDIT: decided to just make my own thread for the moment since my ship (and for that matter crew and history) is still a work in progress__________________
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. - George Carlin.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. - George Carlin.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin
01-08-2007, 02:52 AM
Ship Name: The Calling Port
Sole Resident, Crewman, Creator, and Owner: Allen James
Registry Number: Multiple and varied (see Base Hull and Structure, both below)
Base Hull: A 'waved 1967 Volvo P1800S sport coupe, random space junk, parts of a few abandoned fen stations, a few very small asteroid chunks, two decommissioned diesel submarines (one Russian, one Norwegian), and random bits and pieces from a moderately-sized vehicular junkyard.
Drive Type:
-In-System: Nonconformity Drive (Special, see Known Vehicle Quirks below)
-Intersystemic: Stellar Attraction Drive (Special, see Known Vehicle Quirks below)
-Backup: Many small conventional drives (Acceleration/Speed, depending on time of year and direction of travel, average max speed of .01C)
Flag of Record/Political Affiliation: "Why would I need one of those?"
Home Port: "Wherever I'm not."
Purpose: Self-sufficient, one-person mobile research laboratory, data archival system, hermitage, party venue, and proof-of-concept model.
Launched: About nine months after the SS Grover's Corners.
Description: Originally the result of 'waving the old Volvo given to Mr. James by his parents decades ago, the _Calling Port_ came about in its present form because of an interesting coincidence: its maiden voyage off Earth, astounding as the odds are, intersected with a large collection of space junk. Surprisingly, when the inevitable collision occurred, it didn't just bounce off his windshield- it stuck to the car. Mr. James noticed this, but couldn't think of anything to do about it- he started to explore.
After a while, he found a small space station, which seemed to be mysteriously abandoned. As he tried to leave, he found that, like the junk, the station had become attached to his car- he couldn't separate the two. After much work, the station was operational again: he had to rebuild almost every system on board, since the old ones wouldn't work for him for some strange reason. Now mobile, Allen fired up the station's drives, and went on a tour of the solar system. A couple of small asteroids joined the _Port_ during his trip through the belt, which were hollowed out and tied into the station proper. Over the next few months, the station collected every bit of space junk, junkyard junk (when he could get to Earth), and weird stuff possible.
Once he decided to spend his life collecting knowledge, Mr. James realized that his station wasn't equipped for performing some of the more volatile experiments. He devised a system of remote laboratory stations, which could be deployed from his station... if he had something to launch them from. The first thing that came to mind were torpedo launchers, so he snuck back into Earth orbit, raided a few naval yards for decommissioned vehicles, and flew off with a decommissioned Russian diesel and a mothballed Norwegian sub. More remodelling followed, and the torpedo launchers now serve as probe/satellite/missile deployment systems.
Bits of the original frame can still be seen- the submarines are clearly visible, and the front of the Volvo serves as the 'prow' of the monstrosity. Every so often, a few feet of unburied aircraft hull or bus roofing comes into view, and the ends of junked cars poke out in odd places.
Support Craft: Variable, depending on where Mr. James last visited, which junkyard he last raided, and what his last "great idea" was. Standard support vehicles and devices include:
Remote Laboratory: Allen routinely conducts experiments too dangerous to oversee in person. Instead of endangering himself and his station, he deploys these- single-purpose research satellites, equipped to perform dangerous experiments under remote control.
Data Dump Trucks: Essentially knowledge delivery systems, a DDT is a missile retrofitted with an AI and as much wavetech memory as possible (or desired). The idea is that, once the missile crashes or is retrieved, the information stored inside is available for their use. These are often used by Allen to deliver purchased information to passing fen, or used under contract for the orbital distribution of propaganda and subversive information.
Runabouts: Conglomerations of junk redesigned as small, semi-independent shuttles, these are literally parts of Allen's ship . Each one generally has one major system (part of the full station's engine, weapon, or computer complement), one heavily armored section (the current outer hull of the station), living quarters for one, and enough added gadgetry to serve as a basic shuttle. There are usually six pilotable runabouts at any one time, constant refits permitting, and about 2d8 that can be run by remote control.
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* It's tech, but not as we know it: While the wavetech on board serves much the same purposes as that possessed by other fen, it generally does so in truly bizarre ways. The engine systems operate by moving stellar bodies (the Nonconformity Drive pushes other objects away from the station, while the Stellar Attractor pulls stars closer to it), instead of the ship itself. The ship's weapons operate on the principle that creating interesting things in the right place is just as inconvenient as destruction (one incident in particular, where a band of Boskonians tried to take an interesting gadget by force, saw the surprise reconfiguration of a dangerous pirate ship into a scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, starting by venting the main compartments by space- the moral here is that spacesuits are your friends).
* How do you work this thing?: To compound the quirkyness of the station, all its backward systems are controlled in backward ways, and built in strange ways. An access panel might be made up of thousands of (useless) wires, while the systems below it operate using strips of colored battleship armor. Engines can be targeted on specific destinations through the defensive systems console, while Navigation has a mode that sets missile flight paths. The reactor flush control is located in the master bathroom, and the security doors operate off of tongueprint identification sensors. Some controls are labeled incorrectly, some are labeled in Polish, Arabic, Esperanto, Russian, Norwegian, hieroglyphics, or some combination of the above, and many have no labels. Other controls do nothing at all, and the master horizontal rotation control is a potted ficus tree next to the primary Jolt reservoir.
* Pseudo-non-Euclidian: The internal geography of the station makes little sense. It can take ten minutes to walk to a destination five feet away, and the route taken changes every few weeks. A guest might find one primary bridge console, and finally locate the rest of them after three hours, having completely forgotten where his quarters were in the meantime. Mr. James, who knows where all the secret passages are, could do it in three minutes.
* He owns the Internet: A surprising fraction of the inner station is made up of wavetech data storage. In it, Mr. James keeps every scrap of information that he ever encounters. Currently, he has the entire Internet, random info about every faction of fan out there, three gigabytes of recipes, 1/34th of a definitive Encyclopedia of Humankind (his idea and life's hobby), and enough porn to satisfy the male population of the Pac-10 for 160 years, without repeating a single file, among other things. With this much information, it'd be impossible to memorize all of it- no one person could even memorize the table of contents. Allen doesn't have a clue about a lot of things, but has more knowledge at his fingertips than any fifteen nations do, if he can ever find all of it.
Known Crew Quirks:
*See description of Allen James
Current Location: Someplace between Saturn and Neptune, at some random angle relative to the ecliptic.
Status: Active
Version history: .91
.75: Original posting
.91: First edit: partially fixed for plot consistency
Future edits planned for timeline continuity, cleanup, detail, and absolute canon potential.Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines...
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
Sole Resident, Crewman, Creator, and Owner: Allen James
Registry Number: Multiple and varied (see Base Hull and Structure, both below)
Base Hull: A 'waved 1967 Volvo P1800S sport coupe, random space junk, parts of a few abandoned fen stations, a few very small asteroid chunks, two decommissioned diesel submarines (one Russian, one Norwegian), and random bits and pieces from a moderately-sized vehicular junkyard.
Drive Type:
-In-System: Nonconformity Drive (Special, see Known Vehicle Quirks below)
-Intersystemic: Stellar Attraction Drive (Special, see Known Vehicle Quirks below)
-Backup: Many small conventional drives (Acceleration/Speed, depending on time of year and direction of travel, average max speed of .01C)
Flag of Record/Political Affiliation: "Why would I need one of those?"
Home Port: "Wherever I'm not."
Purpose: Self-sufficient, one-person mobile research laboratory, data archival system, hermitage, party venue, and proof-of-concept model.
Launched: About nine months after the SS Grover's Corners.
Description: Originally the result of 'waving the old Volvo given to Mr. James by his parents decades ago, the _Calling Port_ came about in its present form because of an interesting coincidence: its maiden voyage off Earth, astounding as the odds are, intersected with a large collection of space junk. Surprisingly, when the inevitable collision occurred, it didn't just bounce off his windshield- it stuck to the car. Mr. James noticed this, but couldn't think of anything to do about it- he started to explore.
After a while, he found a small space station, which seemed to be mysteriously abandoned. As he tried to leave, he found that, like the junk, the station had become attached to his car- he couldn't separate the two. After much work, the station was operational again: he had to rebuild almost every system on board, since the old ones wouldn't work for him for some strange reason. Now mobile, Allen fired up the station's drives, and went on a tour of the solar system. A couple of small asteroids joined the _Port_ during his trip through the belt, which were hollowed out and tied into the station proper. Over the next few months, the station collected every bit of space junk, junkyard junk (when he could get to Earth), and weird stuff possible.
Once he decided to spend his life collecting knowledge, Mr. James realized that his station wasn't equipped for performing some of the more volatile experiments. He devised a system of remote laboratory stations, which could be deployed from his station... if he had something to launch them from. The first thing that came to mind were torpedo launchers, so he snuck back into Earth orbit, raided a few naval yards for decommissioned vehicles, and flew off with a decommissioned Russian diesel and a mothballed Norwegian sub. More remodelling followed, and the torpedo launchers now serve as probe/satellite/missile deployment systems.
Bits of the original frame can still be seen- the submarines are clearly visible, and the front of the Volvo serves as the 'prow' of the monstrosity. Every so often, a few feet of unburied aircraft hull or bus roofing comes into view, and the ends of junked cars poke out in odd places.
Support Craft: Variable, depending on where Mr. James last visited, which junkyard he last raided, and what his last "great idea" was. Standard support vehicles and devices include:
Remote Laboratory: Allen routinely conducts experiments too dangerous to oversee in person. Instead of endangering himself and his station, he deploys these- single-purpose research satellites, equipped to perform dangerous experiments under remote control.
Data Dump Trucks: Essentially knowledge delivery systems, a DDT is a missile retrofitted with an AI and as much wavetech memory as possible (or desired). The idea is that, once the missile crashes or is retrieved, the information stored inside is available for their use. These are often used by Allen to deliver purchased information to passing fen, or used under contract for the orbital distribution of propaganda and subversive information.
Runabouts: Conglomerations of junk redesigned as small, semi-independent shuttles, these are literally parts of Allen's ship . Each one generally has one major system (part of the full station's engine, weapon, or computer complement), one heavily armored section (the current outer hull of the station), living quarters for one, and enough added gadgetry to serve as a basic shuttle. There are usually six pilotable runabouts at any one time, constant refits permitting, and about 2d8 that can be run by remote control.
Known Vehicle Quirks:
* It's tech, but not as we know it: While the wavetech on board serves much the same purposes as that possessed by other fen, it generally does so in truly bizarre ways. The engine systems operate by moving stellar bodies (the Nonconformity Drive pushes other objects away from the station, while the Stellar Attractor pulls stars closer to it), instead of the ship itself. The ship's weapons operate on the principle that creating interesting things in the right place is just as inconvenient as destruction (one incident in particular, where a band of Boskonians tried to take an interesting gadget by force, saw the surprise reconfiguration of a dangerous pirate ship into a scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, starting by venting the main compartments by space- the moral here is that spacesuits are your friends).
* How do you work this thing?: To compound the quirkyness of the station, all its backward systems are controlled in backward ways, and built in strange ways. An access panel might be made up of thousands of (useless) wires, while the systems below it operate using strips of colored battleship armor. Engines can be targeted on specific destinations through the defensive systems console, while Navigation has a mode that sets missile flight paths. The reactor flush control is located in the master bathroom, and the security doors operate off of tongueprint identification sensors. Some controls are labeled incorrectly, some are labeled in Polish, Arabic, Esperanto, Russian, Norwegian, hieroglyphics, or some combination of the above, and many have no labels. Other controls do nothing at all, and the master horizontal rotation control is a potted ficus tree next to the primary Jolt reservoir.
* Pseudo-non-Euclidian: The internal geography of the station makes little sense. It can take ten minutes to walk to a destination five feet away, and the route taken changes every few weeks. A guest might find one primary bridge console, and finally locate the rest of them after three hours, having completely forgotten where his quarters were in the meantime. Mr. James, who knows where all the secret passages are, could do it in three minutes.
* He owns the Internet: A surprising fraction of the inner station is made up of wavetech data storage. In it, Mr. James keeps every scrap of information that he ever encounters. Currently, he has the entire Internet, random info about every faction of fan out there, three gigabytes of recipes, 1/34th of a definitive Encyclopedia of Humankind (his idea and life's hobby), and enough porn to satisfy the male population of the Pac-10 for 160 years, without repeating a single file, among other things. With this much information, it'd be impossible to memorize all of it- no one person could even memorize the table of contents. Allen doesn't have a clue about a lot of things, but has more knowledge at his fingertips than any fifteen nations do, if he can ever find all of it.
Known Crew Quirks:
*See description of Allen James
Current Location: Someplace between Saturn and Neptune, at some random angle relative to the ecliptic.
Status: Active
Version history: .91
.75: Original posting
.91: First edit: partially fixed for plot consistency
Future edits planned for timeline continuity, cleanup, detail, and absolute canon potential.Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines...
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.