>>26644750

Bumping so that people can see its back.

>>26644810

holy hell the board is moving fast tonight.

>>26644750
Well, I'm here.

>>26644930
So, last time I believe we had Jonathan Sharp, Last of the True Astronauts (Colonist: Flight Crew) and probably Belter.

>>26644955

Right, I am trying to get him going right now.

>>26644976
Man, I hope someone else gets in here, I don't think the two of us can make a worthwhile thread all by ourselves.

>>26645018

WE CAN TRY!!!

Also, I am using the 'thrill seeker' background, it gives him nice reflex scores, and that boosts piloting to Chuck Yeager levels of cool.

>>26645068
Don't forget that he piloted a spacecraft to a safe landing using a slide rule and mechanical stopwatch after a TITAN virus took out the electronics. That is absolutely CRITICAL to the character.

>>26645107

I will shift some points to give him a higher COG score than normal.

>>26645117
I would imagine he keeps the slide rule and stopwatch on him at all times as a kind of lucky charm.

>>26645188

Physical items are hard to keep with you with egocasting. I say he tattoos them on every new morph he inhabits, and the originals are in a safe deposit box back in Sol.

>>26645220
Given that the mass effect makes interplanetary shipping much easier, I would think he would have them shipped to anywhere he was planning on settling down for a while.

How about a maverick engineer?
Used to work in the military. An enemy attack on some unprotected people happened, and he disobeyed direct orders, commandeered a ship from some big-wig and saved the day. He should've been punished, but because his heroics ended up saving lives, he ended up sent to the more dangerous parts of the galaxy. There he made a career as a daring pilot and somebody you come to if you want your tech kept in perfect working order, or just upgraded.

>>26645365

Kind of what I am already doing actually.

>>26645365
Can you be more specific than 'enemy' and 'superiors?' What faction is he part of? (My first impression is scum.) What faction was he part of before the attack? Who was attacking?

A genre savvy sufi nomad who aspires to unite his people under the Totally-Not-Atreides banner and lead them to overthrow the Harkon-I mean Hypercorp scum.

File: 1376609162450.pdf-(638 KB, PDF, EPME Sharp.pdf)

638 KB PDF

Here is the prelim sheet for Jonathan Sharp.

>>26645550

And of course the text didn't carry over.

Screw it, doing a word doc

>>26645570
Why not just take a screencap of your screen with the character sheet open and the text displayed?

>>26645550
I'll admit, I skimmed the crunch, but this looks good.I think his hardware is a bit low- he would have to be skilled enough to do in-flight emergency repairs and jury-rigging- but overall pretty good.

>>26645550
I don't know what program you're using but all the fancy new shit now has an "export" option instead of just saving the thing.
Use that, it works most of the time.

>>26645550

Uglier but functional version

Jonathan Sharp
Flight staff 5

Cog Coo Int Ref Sav Som Will
10 20 15 20 15 15 10

+1 Moxie

+5 REF

+50 Rep (Your Choice)

Academics: (Engineering) 40

Fray 20

Free Fall 90

Gunnery 30

Hardware: Aerospace 40

Interest:(New ships) 30

Interest:(Ship tech) 40

Kinetic weapons: 60

Medicine paramedic 30

Scrounging 40

Language: (Choose One) 30

Navigation70

Networking: (Ship Crew, Colonists, military) 30

Pilot: Spacecraft 80

Pursuasion: 20

Profession: Flight Crew 65
Profession: Asteroid Mining 65
Hardware: Ship tech 40
Interfacing 30

>>26645791

He needs a morph now, and then is basically ready to play.

Any other character ideas, or is an adventurer-astronaut good for you guys?

>>26645791
I would add Interest: Analog Technology, because, again, he had a slide rule and mechanical stopwatch with him on an EP spaceship.

>>26645791

Bear in mind that these do not have the aptitude bonuses on them yet.

Jonathan Sharp
Flight staff 5

Cog Coo Int Ref Sav Som Will
10 20 15 25 15 15 10

2 Moxie
30 C-rep

30 @-rep

40 r-rep


Academics: (Engineering) 40

Fray 20

Free Fall 90

Gunnery 30

Hardware: Aerospace 40

Interest:(New ships) 30

Interest:(Ship tech) 40

Kinetic weapons: 60

Medicine paramedic 30

Scrounging 40

Language: (Choose One) 30

Navigation70

Networking: (Ship Crew, Colonists, military) 30

Pilot: Spacecraft 80

Pursuasion: 20

Profession: Flight Crew 65
Profession: Asteroid Mining 65
Hardware: Ship tech 40
Interfacing 30

>>26645826

Replaced 'new ships' with 'vintage tech'

>>26645806
I would imagine a Bouncer, modified with Vacuum sealing and the Hibernia's hibernation ability. Something optimized for long-haul space travel.

>>26645806
It's ok, I want to get going.
We are going standard starting morphs for him right?
Bouncer would be fitting.

A little bit more background would be good too.
(Or am I just too stupid to read the thread?)

>>26645918

The last of the true old astronauts, Sharp is a member of a dying breed. In an age of mind linked computers and near sentient starships, Sharp is the kind of man who prefers to fly the REAL way, with a wire running from a stick in your hand to a wing panel.

But the Sol system is too heavily trafficked, Sharp wants to be on the cutting edge, the new frontier, like the olden days, and with the discovery of ME tech, that is possible.

He keeps moving from new colony to new colony, working there until their space gets too crowded for his liking, and then moving on to a new one.

His most recent settlement is Eden Prime...

>>26645990

Right, ready if you guys are.

>>26645990
Oh right, the NASA type guy from last thread. I just didn't recognize the name.

Bouncer would be fitting indeed.

How many CP do we have?
Looking through traits right now, some of these are really tempting.

>>26646039
I'm ready.

>>26646061
Also do we receive any penalties when under the influence of gravity?
Bouncer and all..

>>26646061

I am cutting the language skill, so you have 30 CP to spend.

And no, no penalties in gravity, but bouncers run slower on account of their finger-feet

>>26646125
Right, we can probably just change those at some point in the quest, this being EP and all.

>>26646125

Righto, let's get this started, despite how incredibly tired I am!

Have to start somewhere of course.

Okay, let me gather my thoughts and we can get rolling.

>>26646125
Right, just for roleplaying reasons I'd go with Direction Sense and Fast Learner under all circumstances.

>>26646203

You are Jonathan Sharp. Captain Jonathan Sharp, though not many people call you that anymore.

In the olden days, before the Fall, you were a NASA astronaut, one of the hardy pioneers exploring the very boundaries of human existence. But, eventually, even those frontiers became crowded, colony habitats, interplanetary commerce, and the like. You lived in the asteroid belt for a time, making a decent living on a honeycomb habitat mining nearby asteroids. But the discovery of ME technology has pushed you on to greater things, you are a frontiersman again!

You traveled from system to system, always keeping one step ahead of transhuman civilization, staying on the outskirts, never staying once a system got too crowded.

Lately, you have been working as an asteroid miner in the Shanxi system, one of the Alliances greatest garden world colonies.

You are out one day doing your job, mining space rocks, when you catch sight of an interesting group passing a few thousand kilometers away, it looks like a little flotilla of exploration ships heading towards the rim of the system.

They are close enough for a scan or a communication channel, if you want to contact them.

Actions?

>>26646334
Exchange a friendly greeting, one pioneer to another.

>>26646334
Contact them.

>what's the worst that could happen

>>26646362

What is your ship's name?

>>26646399
Geoff.

Just kidding.

>>26646399
The Kestrel.
That, or the Intrepid III. (The Intrepid I was lost in the fall, and the Intrepid II was impounded and destroyed during one of the periodic Exsurgent scares.)

>>26646444
Actually no, I'm not kidding. I can't think of anything better.

Also I just found out that the latin word for "frontier" is limes.
I didn't see that one coming.

>>26646334

"This is Captain Jonathan Sharp to exploration ships, what's the big rush guys? They find a new system or something?"

"You could say that Sharp." Comes the reply from one of the exploration ships, "But I am afraid the rest is confidential."

You could use your networking (Ship crew) skill to try and get more out of him.

Roll 1d100, first come, first used.

BRB, have to take a shower, 15 minutes or so.

>>26646486
The "I Fucked Your Mother"

Rolled 56

>>26646505

>>26646505
Also, you need a muse.

Rolled 78

>>26646486
We going with ships from other settings now?
How about the Kuun-Lan? Great explorer ship.

Rolled 8

>>26646505
"Must be something pretty special to warrant secrecy. Not anything dangerous, I hope?"

Rolled 30

>>26646565
I think he would name it after an actual exploration ship. Casual googling, alas, does not reveal the names of any of the ships in Zheng He's fleet.

>>26646621
Well, Columbus' ships had shit names.
Other than that I can only think of the Fram (first deliberate north pole expedition by ship) and Humboldt apparently had no ship.

>>26646535

"Surely it isn't anything that serious, unless it's dangerous, in which case I think I have a right to know regardless."

The other end of the line is silent for a moment, before the other shipman responds.

"The relay in this system has been discovered to connect to a new, uncharted relay. We're going to activate the link and be the first-in ships. Beyond that, I really, really can't tell you."

Actions?

>>26646691
Let's go with Fram, I like that one.

Rolled 43

>>26646707
"Good luck. Wish I could join you."

>>26646691
Possibly the Polaris- first submarine to sail under the north pole, first nuclear-powered submarine, and named after one of the most navigationally important stars in the night sky. Also probably not too many other ships named that out there.

>>26646707
Suggest to join them. Tell them (no bragging) that you're quite experienced at this stuff and what qualifications you have (if any).

>>26646751
Or, Alternatively, the Columbia- the first space shuttle, or the Yuri Gagarin or Vostok- first man in space and his ship.

>>26646751
Good one. I'm all for it.

>Also probably not too many other ships named that out there.
In EP not, probably. But every harbor you go to there will be at least 3 of those.

>>26646797
I like that ring "Polaris" has to it. The others are kinds recent. I associate too much with them. Also I really wouldn't take Columbia as a name, that might bring bad luck.

>>26646758
We're in an asteroid mining vessel. We might not even have an eezo core, much less be outfitted for interstellar research and exploration. We'd only be useful if they have a sudden and urgent need for raw materials, and they probably have some basic mining vehicles already.

>>26646707

"I wish you luck then. Sure you don't have room for one more?"

"Pretty sure Sharp, the people here are the best, they were chosen specifically for this mission."

You run a quick search on the captain you are talking to, and see that he is a member of the Autonomist Alliance.

"I understand you don't want me underfoot, but believe me, I'm the kind of man you want with you on a mission like this." You send over your skill profile. A moment later the other voice comes back.

"Very impressive, yes indeed. Alright, fine, this is a free mission. You want to tag along, be my guest, but don't get in the way of the others if you can help it. I would rather avoid any complications on a mission like this."

"So would I." You say, best to avoid those at all costs.

Actions?

Also, your pilot skill is 105, without morph bonus...

>>26646837
We have one thing they have not, experience.

>>26646883

Also, you could dogfight with Chuck Yeager and the Red Baron.

>>26646863
Close the gap and stay at a reasonable distance.
Keep the comm channel to them open (if they want). Prepare ship for jump.

>Also, your pilot skill is 105, without morph bonus...
Holy fuck. I guess we won't be rolling for that.

>>26646863
Match course and velocity, and link our mesh to theirs. What are the specs on our ship? What is it good at, what is it bad at, what kind of equipment does it have, if things went south how long would it be before the air ran out, etc.

>>26646929

Difficult situations will imply negatives, so a skill of over one hundred will not guarantee a success.

Nevertheless, you have the piloting skill of an ace.

>>26646863
>105
>We literally cannot fail a roll.

>>26646951
Oh we can, if we're frightened, drunk, there is poo in the cockpit and we're bleeding to death. At the same time.

>>26646949

Your ship is a fairly standard long range resource recovery and exploitation ship, outfitted for long haul travel, scanning, and mining.

It also mounts a few point-defense turrets, in case of pirate attack, which is not unheard of.

>>26647004
>point-defense turrets

Well, that's not informative. What do they shoot?

>>26647026

Sorry, point defense laser turrets, forgot the operative word.

>>26647036
What sort of range do we have on the lasers and scanners?

>>26647036
Cool, that means we can
A) really hurt the Turians
B) intercept their missiles
but we will
C) still get torn to shreds if we are hit with ME guns

>captcha: prolapsus renver

>>26646863

"Taking formation in the fleet now." You say, assuming a station a respectful distance away from the other ships. You are a freelance miner, so there is no risk of someone getting annoyed at you up and leaving your post in the middle of operation.


You hurtle through the void of space for a few hours, on course for the Mass Relay at the edge of the system. In your spare time you do some mesh searches on various bits of ship tech, new and old, until you finally reach the great Prothean artifact floating in space. One by one the ships of the fleet are engulfed in the relay's energy pulses, whisked off to parts unknown, finally your ship is pulled off as well, hurtling through the vast void before slamming to an instant stop light-years away.

You look out through your cockpit window at a new stellar system laid out before you like a vast board of gemstones.

Actions?

File: 1376614517065.jpg-(130 KB, 1272x362, 2.jpg)

130 KB JPG

>>26647054
Probably medium or large.

>>26647095
Actually, it's possible to deflect dumb railgun rounds with lasers, assuming they aren't made out of something extremely heat resistant. When the laser hits the round, a small part of it will vaporize, generating thrust- enough to send it off course and miss. Assuming that our sensors can pick up railgun rounds mid-flight at greater than single-digit ranges.

>>26647126
We're a long-range prospecting vessel, so I'd assume large.

>>26647132
The thing is the Mass Effect guns work on the principle that their space magic element makes matter really light and they can accelerate small chunks of stuff to ridiculous speeds.
Handheld guns shoot tiny metal splinters at something like 0.04c.
It's probably more than that in spaceships
No computer in the world is going to pick that up.

>>26647116
Fire up the scanners and get to pattern-matching the night sky. Identify objects in the immediate vicinity and where we are in the galaxy. Establish mesh links with the other ships and share data, get a distributed array going. Then, begin mapping the system itself.

>>26647116
Engage long range scanners. I hope we have the really long range version from here >>26647126.

Also this>>26647196

>>26647116

You activate the mapping sensors on your ship, linking your systems in with the mesh network from the rest of the exploration fleet, sharing the data you collect. You start to get stellar fixes from the surrounding stars, and your computer throws up a rough location of where you are in the galaxy, interesting information for some cartographer, but not very important for you right now.

The next few hours pass in much the same way. While it may be boring for a lot of people, you are on the edge of your seat for each incoming bit of data, knowing that you are the first human ever to observe these worlds, that cloud of gas, those asteroids.

Hm. That is odd.

You mapped several asteroids in the system, but some are moving decidedly oddly. The gravitational layout of the system is unable to account for their movement.

Investigate further?

>>26647294
Direct the attention of the rest of the fleet to this odditiy.
Fast.

>>26647294
Obviously. Not too close, but focus the sensors on them and try to get a higher resolution. Maneuver a bit to get some parallax and multiple camera angles. Make sure all the data is being shared with the rest of the flotilla- they probably have a bunch of eggheads just itching for a chance to swarm over an anomaly like this.

>>26647294
Also, do the Factors and Pandora gates exist in this crossover setting?

>>26647367
Yes, but they never made contact with us.
At least I think that's how it was.

>>26647389
I'm pretty sure it was decided that one kind of space-magic FTL was enough, but I'm not sure about the Factors.

>>26647367
Factors do, but contact has not been made. Pandora gates do not, too much crossover with the mass relays.

>>26647294

"Sharp to fleet, I am detecting several anomalous contacts moving through the system. I am redirecting my sensors to the following coordinates." You relay a few spatial coordinates and vector your sensor systems to examine the objects.

You furrow your brow when you see the objects are actually moving in your direction.

"Fleet, be advised that contacts are moving in our direction, please advise."

"Hold tight Sharp, we are investigating." Came the response from fleet command.

You look down at your instruments again.

"Sharp to fleet, my readings are saying those objects are accelerating towards us, there is no way to explain that unless... Unless they are moving under power."

"We have come to the same conclusion." Fleet command says, "Hold one, we are scanning further."

You scan the thermals of those objects, seeing obvious heat generation.

There is no doubt in your mind, those are ships of some kind, heading straight for you.

Actions?

>>26647477
Send First Contact package. (We have one of those, right?) Retreat back to the main flotilla- if they are hostile, best to face them as a single unit.

>>26647477
Let our endocrine system know it should start engaging the sympathetic nervous system right about now. You know, speed up heartrate, breathing rate constrict blood vessels and so on. Follow up by displaying facial expressions varying from excitement to fear.

(I really don't know what we should be doing, you don't need to ask for actions after every post.)

>>26647532
Eh no. Let's let the big boys handle this.

>>26647584
I imagine the First Contact package was cooked up years ago back at Sol and has just been floating around in the computer of every interstellar ship since then. I don't think the official flotilla will actually have anything better ready to go right this minute.

>>26647624
We should still, you know, ask them first.

>>26647649
Okay, fine.

>>26647477

"This is Sharp, falling back to fleet."

"Rodger Sharp, we are sending a contact package, let's see if anyone over there has their ears on."

A few agonizing minutes pass, nothing happens.

"Those ships are still accelerating. No response to contact package. Range, 6,000 kilometers. Fleet, I believe at this time we should..."

The line goes silent.

"Fleet command, please advise?" You request. Nothing.

"What is the status of fleet command?" You request again.

"Fleet Com is gone!" Someone shouts, "The ship just got gutted, we're under attack! Everyone back through the relay!"

You don't need to be told twice, you wheel the ship around and point it towards the mass relay, watching helplessly as another ship vaporizes before it can get to the relay. You pick up several objects closing on your position, you would say they were fighters.

You can roll for gunnery and piloting to try and fight or avoid them, state what skill you are rolling for.

Rolled 49

>>26647776
Rolling for piloting to get back to the relay in one piece.

Rolled 75

>>26647776
Piloting

Rolled 30

>>26647776
Gunnery

>>26647776
Rolling for piloting.

We are SO out of here.
In canon like 1 ship got back alive to warn the rest, I think we should be that ship.

Rolled 30

>>26647822
Oops

Rolled 53

>>26647776
We're about the best pilot here, right? Can we send over some beta fork infomorphs to the other ships to help them?

>>26647776

You quickly throw your ship into some evasive maneuvers, and target with your point defense lasers as well as you can. You manage to avoid taking any fire from the ships pursuing you, thankfully, and even manage to knock one out of the fight, the craft slowing down and veering off course.

Eventually, you make it to the relay, thankfully undamaged, though most of the fleet is not so lucky. It seems that they were not as good of pilots as you, and most were destroyed, only a handful of ships managing to limp back to the relay and jump through.

In a few moments you are back in Shanxi space, surrounded by the ragged remains of the fleet which had just jumped through on a mission of exploration. You lay in a maximum speed course back towards the inner system, and get ready to contact the colony and warn them.

Where exactly are you headed?

Rolled 86

>>26648020
To Eden Prime, alert local military forces, preferably ones in orbit if they even have those.
Eden Prime ain't well defended is it?

Rolled 22

>>26648020
Shanxi. It's where the defense grid will be heaviest, and S&R easiest if we get shot down. Begin transmitting ALL sensor records of the fight to the defenders- they'll need all the data they can get.

Rolled 26

>>26648107
Oh, and can EP spacesuits take reentry? I have a feeling it might be relevant. If not, and we have a fabricator, start making some kind of escape capsule.

>>26648107
I forgot that was there, disregard >>26648099 we're going to Shanxi.

>>26648129
Mate, they're developing one that could do that right now. I think this won't be a problem for EP.
http://www.universetoday.com/102289/revolutionary-new-space-diving-suit-will-rival-anything-youve-ever-seen-in-the-movies/

>>26648020
>22

You punch it for the Shanxi colony, and open up a line to the Alliance military stationed there.

"Hello, hello! This is Captain Sharp, attached to the expeditionary fleet headed through the relay, we have come under attack by unknown ships, the fleet is devastated, I am transmitting all records of the battle now, please advise!"

"Wait one Sharp, we are analyzing." Comes the reply.

While the big brains are analyzing, you detect a flare of power from the relay, seeing new ships coming through. They match the profiles of the ships that just attacked the fleet.

"Shanxi, be advised that the hostile ships have come back through the relay, I am under attack!"

You dodge and jink through space, firing a few shots to discourage any pursuit. Some of the slower, damaged ships are not so lucky, and are destroyed by the attacking ships. You eventually make it inside the protective range of the orbital defenses over Shanxi, the big laser guns and particle accelerators opening fire on the enemy ships.


----


I think I am heading to bed soon. Will continue later, I am glad people are having fun playing this.

I will hang around for a little while to talk, if anyone is interested.

>>26648020
Alert the local authorities, rearm your ship and prepare for war.

Space cowboys retreat and reengage, but they never just walk away from a fight.

Rolled 32

>>26648165
Yes, but A. all of our spacesuits are probably optimized for deep-space work, B. even if our spacesuits are that tough, they probably don't come with a parachute, and C. the designers of EP may not read the same articles you do.

>>26648228
>I think I am heading to bed soon. Will continue later, I am glad people are having fun playing this.
Just as I am. Good timing.

And I am enjoying it very much so far. I hope we get a chance to actually fight soon.

Rolled 81

>>26648228
How far along is the settlement of Shanxi? What are the political blocs, the cultural forces, the population, the economic forces? What's the defense grid like? etc, etc, etc.
Also, what time is it where you are?

>>26648305

It is currently ten at night where I am.

>>26648305
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shanxi

I don't know what OP did to it to fit EP but this is it in ME.

>>26648305

The settlement is a few years old, and has a lot of AA influence, with some Titan settlers and anarchists, but there is still an ordered society and setup.

Orbital defenses are comprised of defense satellites with high power laser guns and mass accelerators, as well as hangers of fighter craft.

>>26648357
How large was the flotilla that just got destroyed?
Does our morph have any capabilities beyond the standard Bouncer package?

>>26648413

A dozen ships were in the flotilla, eight of which were destroyed in the initial engagement.

Your morph has vacuum sealing, and the hibernation package.

I am also giving you a pistol of your choice, as a starting weapon.

>>26648465
Let's go with a medium pistol loaded with bullets that do not penetrate a spaceship hull. (Splash, Zap?)
Of course we have a backup magazine of AP rounds.

>>26648532
Wait no, let's make that a heavy. I don't see the downside of only having 2 less bullets in a magazine.

>>26648532
erroneous, spaceship hulls are not airplane hulls

>>26648651
Being a spaceship hull does not make it bulletproof.

>>26648228
Can we get a brief Turian POV of the war somewhere down the line? I think their reaction to first contact with transhumanity will be just as interesting as transhumanities' reaction.

>>26648651
This is a proper spaceship not fit for re-entry and I think we do have a shield so a thick hull to hold of micrometeorites is unnecessary.
The hull of the space shuttle is not thick at all for example.

>>26648695

I plan on having a Turian character witnessing the first contact war as a part of the larger story.

File: 1376620497817.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 18 KB, 240x249)

18 KB JPG

>>26648334
Yeah well it's 0534 here.

>>26648716

Then we should probably sleep.

See you tomorrow /tg/.

>>26648701
While a hull might need to be thick, that doesn't necessarily make it heavy. Micrometeor impacts require a different kind of armoring that isn't exactly suited to other uses

>>26648807
What time will you be back?

>>26648884

Tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I will not have to work overtime tomorrow.

We will see if I feel like questing, or writing my other stories.

>>26648945
See you then.