[SOMEWHAT OPEN] Astral Exploration Crew

[Ignispark]

Astral Exploration Crew

"Good day, I'm Elsevast and I'll be your captain. I've got a spaceship, and I'm preparing it for its non-technical test voyage. The plan is to explore spaces and other areas, noting down what we find and investigating wildlife. I'm looking for those willing to provide an extra set of hands, have interesting research ideas, or otherwise wish to take part. The ship is fairly, modular, so I'll also be taking concepts for certain facilities or objects to tag along. I've got...a decent bit of resources prepared for this, so as long as it isn't anything too esoteric I should be able to get the ship modified on time."

END GOAL: Obtain scientific data and return to town.

CHARACTERS PARTICIPATING: [Minimum of three users total, including me with Elsevast. This will start probably, around three days after we reach that or something like that, unless someone mentions they want to join and just needs some time. Otherwise not really restricting this.]

-Elsevast
-Krypton, Comet, and Supernova
-Mane

CURRENT SHIP ROOMS:
-Helm/Command/Navigation/Flight Room
-Engine Room
-Rover/Shuttle Bay (And Rover/Shuttle)
-Infirmary
-Dining Room & Kitchen
-Crew Quarters
-Janitorial Closet
-Cargo Room (And Space Forklift)
-Generic Laboratory (Probably has Astronomy + Biology Stuff)
-Containment Cell (Uh oh.)

---
REQUIRED INFO:
-Name
-Image/Description
-Personal Belongings (What are you bringing with you)

OPTIONAL INFO:
-Pronouns
-Scientific Research Ideas
-Ship Room Ideas
-What should I name the ship?
-Anything you're looking to see in particular?
-Anything else you want

---
Also feel free to post commentary/idea/suggestions outside of the signup stuff.

[skinstealer]

Name: Krypton
Image/Description:
Personal Belonging: Stress toy, stickers, various alien memorabilia
Pronouns: He/him
Scientific Research Ideas: Aliens! I wanna see aliens so bad!
Ship Room Ideas: Containment cells...for the aliens.
Anything you're looking to see in particular? ALIENS

---

Name: Comet
Image/Description:
Personal Belongings: Star charts, multiple journals, gel pens
Pronouns: It/its
Scientific Research Ideas: Mapping far-out stars and planets...anything to help get more knowledge of the cosmos.
Anything you're looking to see in particular? I'd like to see something new, and possibly name it!
 

---

Name: Supernova
Image/Description:
Personal Belongings: Personal space suit, ray gun (set to stun by default) 
Pronouns: She/her
Anything you're looking to see in particular? Anything's fine, as long as the ship's run well.

[knux400]

NAME: Mane
PRONOUNS: It/Them
Inventory:
-Space suit (with a heavy-duty, reinforced helmet!)
-Empty notebook
-10 color pen
"Oh man, the stars... I wasn't expecting to be able to go this soon! Our guild can't quite afford a spaceship yet."

[Ignispark]

I'll be starting this off, at earliest, Wednesday. If anyone wants to get other characters in you should let me know before then or do so before then.

Addendum Chatter [Looking for commentary/thoughts, these details are kinda up in the air.]:
>Concepts for ship power/propulsion
-Organic Matter / [It Eats] (Or something else produced from, various hydroponics + chemical processes)

-Magic, Hopes, and Dreams (Literally. Potentially just Emotions/Dreams in general)...taken completely literally

-Normal Fuel that you'd expect/and or generic Sci Fi Fuelolium/Fueltonium

>Concepts for ship names?
-Funny/scary name based on the type of fuel used.
-Reference to some newly made up deceased past explorer critter.
-something generic like the [SHIP PREFIX] Immutable or Dauntless or-yeah,

[skinstealer]

im leaning towards magic/hopes/dreams, and named after a deceased explorer- the question is, someone close to the captain, fictional, or historical?

[Ignispark]

Magic, Hopes, and Dreams was what I was probably going to pick without input, because it's rather fun, albeit potentially concerning. (That, or organic matter, because a ship that eats is,,, concerning.)

I'm thinking of deceased...either historical or someone close to the captain, with a slight lean towards historical? Not sure what's a good name for deceased critter #139439 though. [Unless i make it an unfortunate name like. Former]

[Ignispark]

(Still will technically take submissions until liftoff, but calling it mission start now.)

----

The E.C.G. (Everlasting Kinematics Generator) Slipstream [named after the deceased explorer, Slipstream] is on the runway. The vessel is vaguely in the shape of a plane, with a tendency toward triangular/pyramidal components, almost like a low polygon model of a ship, or other similar geometric sci fi designs. It's mainly silver and gold, with hints of glowing pink.

Nearby, Elsevast is looking over the ship's exterior, having checked the inside's thoroughly, before it's time for people to arrive. They smash a bottle of champagne against the ship, for good luck, before cleaning up the mess and checking fear watch again. Hopefully some people will arrive soon. There are some dollies and carts out, near the open hatch to the cargo bay, ready to help people get their belongings on the ship.

---
[We're set to go, arrive when you're ready]

[knux400]

Mane walks very slowly onto the runway, taking its time to absorb every detail of the alien-looking craft before it. It seems mesmerized by the ship, the equipment, and everything about this situation.

Jaw agape, they circle the craft before coming up to meet the pink-and-black Lostling. Now that they're closer, one can see that they're carrying what looks like a very sturdy metal helmet, with what looks like a small pack stuffed inside. They're wearing a thick space suit with what looks to be extra armor plating facing the front. Particularly of note is the metal disc around their neck, which features an array of plates that almost resembles a folded-up metal flower.

"Hi! I'm Mane. Is this... is this it??"

They don't even stop to wait for a response.

"It's so cool! How does it work? Are you going to fly into the portal or tow it on the ground? What does it run on? Where did you get it? Are you the pilot? If not, can I be the pilot? Can I see the engine? What else is inside? What's it called? I saw you hitting it with the champagne, is that for good luck? What's the hull made of? Is it silver and gold because of the material it's made of, or did you paint it? Did you use a gold-titanium alloy? Are the pink glowy bits thrusters? Why is it all polygonal? can i- i mean can my guild borrow it?................................................"

It quickly becomes clear they're going to continue on like this until someone cuts them off.

((i like the concept of magic fuel based on some kind of emotion... could lead to interesting scenarios imo! also slipstream is a perfect name for the ship))

[Ignispark]

Elsevast does a little bow and nods. "Hey there main! Great to see you. This is the ship. The E.C.G. Slipstream."

Xe slaps the side of the ship. "It takes off of the runway on its own power, same for long range flight...it's best not to take a vessel of this type through portals...it's sort of a self-contained system, if you know what I mean. It runs on emotions and dreams and such. I made it, with some help and a lot of magic and knowing the right place to get parts, a few people in the right places, and a lot of time. I'm the pilot, technically, but if you want to try to fly it I can introduce you to some controls and you can give some of it a spin. The engine is, uh. You can see it but the inside can be...harmful to see while running for those not particularly resistant to certain effects...there's a lot inside. Inside there's the helm, which acts as the command room and cockpit too. There's the engine room, rover and shuttle bay, infirmary, dining room, kitchen, crew quarters, janitorial closet, cargo room and its space forklift, and some laboratory space. I can swap around the insides some due to some...special properties of the vessel, but I need to uh, use some processes that take some time and, well I can only do it before launch, effectively. Anyway, the hull is made of a special alloy...which does contain gold and silver, in those parts. The patterning and alloy has to do with the magic built into the ship, somewhat. The shape too, it helps strengthen the effects on the vessel. And yeah, there's titanium in there too. The glow bits are actually arcane emission points. And if you want to borrow it at some point, I'd have to be on board probably for safety reasons, but we can talk about that-"

[skinstealer]

"You're really going to let someone else take your ship?"



The rafflemane had seemingly snuck up on the two of them, up close and personal with a deadpan look on her face.

"Supernova reporting for duty. I wouldn't advise loaning your ship to someone you just met."

[knux400]

"Well, I'd... Give it back, obviously..."

"...and besides, xe said xe would be on board the whole time!"

[skinstealer]

"It'd be an understandable offer if xe knew you at all.
We'll see how things go."

Supernova stands at attention- as best as she can with her snake-like stance, anyway.

"As stated in my application, I'm here to see how this goes in order to understand running my own crew. Forgive me if I'm particularly critical, I just take these sort of things very seriously. Safety is crucial."

[Ignispark]

Elsevast does a little salute, snickering.

"Glad to meet a captain in training. Let me know if you ever want some more personal advice on the matter...it's always good to impart something on new hires...asides I never said I'd do something like let someone use my ship without an incentive or something to gain...

and of course...I wouldn't be comfortable with people I don't know well on my ship...unless I had some cards up my sleeve for an emergency, anyhow."

Xe takes out a coin and flips it. Faer eyes glow brightly. The coin stops midair. It rotates at high speeds, before melting into a floating blob of molten metal. It reforms into the shape of the ship before cooling. It then gently floats down into their hand as their eyes stop glowing.

"Metal control is one of the magics I'm best at. Messing with me or my ship, in the presence of each other is a bad idea."

[skinstealer]

"...respectable. I can work with that-"
"H-hey! Am I late?"


Before she can finish talking, a cosmonaut bumbles in, stumbling all over its own limbs and struggling to carry a massive pack on its back.
Supernova takes a slither back, keeping her eye on the starry, noodle shaped critter. "Great, another one..."

[Ignispark]

Elsevast reforms the little ship model into a little pipe and takes a bottle out of their pocket, pouring in a clear liquid.

They blow some bubbles. Looks like it was bubble solution, before taking it out of xer mouth.

"Well, if your name's Late, I suppose you are. Otherwise, given that the ship's not taken off...you're still on time."

[skinstealer]

"Thank god, I would never let myself live it down if I were late... I'm Comet! The, um, astronomer. Hello."

It gives a little wave, settling back onto its haunches.

"Supernova." "Oh, that's! A lovely name." "Mm."

[Ignispark]

The captain waves back.

"I'm Elsevast, as you might know from the posting...and this is the ECG Slipstream. Was quite excited to get a proper astronomer on board. It's much harder for me to manage that kind of work while also being a pilot, captain, and service technician. Delicate instruments and limited time, practically essential that there's someone who has that as their post."

[skinstealer]

"That's...a lot to do! How do you handle all that stress?"

[Ignispark]

"Well, if I don't do that, the ship won't be safe. Can't have that. Space exploration is worthless if there's nobody left to bring back the data, nobody left to bring things back to, or anything of that sort-

well perhaps not literally, but-

...it's what has to be done. So, I make it work! It doesn't hurt that I get to be in nice surroundings, see wondrous things, and have pretty good accommodations. Speaking of which, this is a pretty nice vessel. Pretty spacious on the inside...though you can probably guess that based on its...size. It's actually a bit, bigger than you'd think there too, though...

Ah um, I must ask that people refrain from usage of magic or other techniques and devices that warp space or similar things onboard...the instruments on the ship are tuned to ignore the noise and distortions of the ship itself, but could be thrown off by additional phenomenon. If you must do so, please let me know so I can tune things properly..."

[skinstealer]

"Oh! Okay, noted...I don't have any magic. Yet. I'd like to learn some..."

Comet shuffles its feet, Supernova giving it a cautious look before turning back to Elsevast.

"I am also magic free."

[Ignispark]

Elsevast calmly tilts its head, looking between the two.

"I, can likely teach magic. Normally I'd make a comment about that my particular methods are...quite related to certain patterns, geometries, careful studies and understanding...but. Given your position, you're probably well suited for that. We can see if the opportunity presents itself, or talk about that later. And good that you all are...safe in that regard. There's still another I'm waiting on to arrive, in addition to some grace time I'm giving for...latent applicants, so I might be asking this again."

[skinstealer]

"What can we expect from the last member of the crew? Someone specialized, I hope." Supernova makes it clear that the latter statement is not a question.

[Ignispark]

Elsevast snickers a little.

"I think they might be? A biologist. I'm honestly not sure. In any case I'll probably stick them on hydroponics oversight unless someone else is more fit for that, as it's a fairly tame job unless they want to run an experiment. The hydroponics bay is much bigger than needed, anyway...they also seemed interested in astrobiology, which is another major part of this expedition-"

[knux400]

"Oh! Okay, noted...I don't have any magic. Yet. I'd like to learn some..."

Comet shuffles its feet, Supernova giving it a cautious look before turning back to Elsevast.

"I am also magic free."

Mane chimes in, albeit a bit late. "No magic for me, either. But my suit can do this!"

They shift their stance as if squaring up for a fight. In response, the plates on the neck of their suit unfold and form a flowerlike shield that covers their entire body from the neck down. There's even enough room for someone else to hide behind it if they squeeze in close.

"It's still not as tough as my actual mane, but it covers a larger area. Plus it's on the outside of the suit as opposed to the inside."

They take a more casual stance again and the plates retract, folding against Mane's neck once more.

[skinstealer]

"Very interesti-" "WHOAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before Supernova can finish, something...very fast and green speeds in, bounding forward on little wheel-like feet.

Not something- someone, and someone very excited.

"That is so cool. Where'd you find a suit like that?! Where can I get one!!"

[knux400]

Mane startles a bit at the sudden arrival, their shield unfolding again briefly.

"...oh! It's, uh, custom made, actually! I got the suit itself from a company in the space neighborhood a couple years ago, and I've been slowly making modifications and adjustments to it ever since!"

[skinstealer]

"Well it's awesome. I have to get one of those."

"...would it even fit your species? You are... a skateboard." Supernova tilts her head, clearly unimpressed.

"Maybe I could get one that gives me like! A hang glider-y thing for my back!"

[Ignispark]

"I mean, I can see a shield working...it'd be a little finicky and maybe need some decent independent articulation to be useful, but..."

"Ah, yes. Welcome, by the way. That's the last planned member of the crew, but I shall be giving some...additional grace time for bonus recruitment. Does anyone have questions?"

[skinstealer]

"Wait...this isn't just..a groupie? This is your hydroponics guy?" Supernova points to the kickflipz with a claw, looking even more unimpressed than usual.

"Oh, no, I'm the alien guy. I'm Krypton!"

"....Mm. Got it."

[Ignispark]

"Yeah you're going to be gardening."

[skinstealer]

"...am I gardening alien plants?"

[Ignispark]

"...I mean technically they're genetically and magically altered and therefore alien to all unaccustomed-so, alien in the literal sense-."

[skinstealer]

"HELL YES"

[Ignispark]

Elsevast taps its claw a couple times. "Alright alright, let's call that enough of a wait, if anyone hasn't boarded by now it's probably fate or some bullshit like that. All aboard."

They head up to the ship, holding open the door to the entrance area, a scarce bit of chairs, a side table, and whatnot before entering the main halls of the ship.+

[skinstealer]

Comet and Supernova watch as Krypton bounds past, trying to get a good look at everything. Comet can't help but laugh a little at the kickflipz' enthusiasm, while Supernova looks...far less amused.

Supernova pauses occasionally to examine the ship, Comet taking a seat at the side table. "This is a fine vessel you've got, Elsevast!" "It's serviceable."

[Ignispark]

The interior is rather clean, with a similar color scheme to the outside. The area is fairly standard in shape here, seeming to be mostly rectangular. There are various flat geometric patterns on the wall, with lighting embedded as the lines of the patterns. The halls past the entry area have a few main doors. there's a somewhat far door at down at the end of the left way. A litany of doors on both sides of the hall to the left and right, and the hall extends beyond discernible vision to the right.

"...Indeed. I should make a few notes, while everyone boards."

They glance up at a camera on the ceiling, intercom on the wall, and then to a fire extinguisher of some weird sigil instead of a normal letter class.
It then observes the small divit for a first aid kit.

"To begin. I will need to ensure all of you receive a proper communicator. This ship has, an experimental layout, and the interior is larger than one would expect...you could get lost if you are not careful. Though, you will find you traverse distances...more swiftly than you'd expect, as long as you are not aimless. If you lose the communicator after I get it to you...an intercom around the ship, or making enough of a ruckus should work...the latter only if I'm on the cameras though or if you set off an alarm.

Also of note, in an odd emergency or severe damage to the ship, try to make contact with me as soon as possible. While this ship is robust, if we encounter...leviathanic entities or something else incredibly dangerous, there is an additional risk in the case of emergencies that is best mitigated by my guidance. However, we should not encounter severe structural damage to the vessel or notable interference...and if we did our odds of survival are higher than in a standard vessel."

[knux400]

Mane seems to pay no attention whatsoever to the announcement, instead craning their head at every detail of the ship. They seem completely transfixed.

[Ignispark]

"Oh and, again thank you for flying with me. I'll try to make sure this is a VERY productive venture for the future of aerospace, exploration, and such."

It begins to pace to the left.

"Any other concerns before I get to assigning rooms?"

[skinstealer]

Supernova raises a paw, not waiting to be addressed before continuing.

"What is the plan for food and other necessary resources for daily survival?
Are meals structured?
How much does each room have for amenities?
And- what kind of work will be required daily, on top of our individual duties?"

[Ignispark]

"The kitchen space has a decent amount of ingredients prepared for cooking. Additionally, the hydroponics bay can support restocking from the crops there."

"Onboard storage has non-perishable rations that should last quite a while in an emergency. We honestly have enough food for a much larger crew, as with most resources...so short of a major incident, we should be fine. Even in one we should be able to find a solution rather simply."

"Each room is stocked similar to what you'd expect in a run of the mill hotel. Clock, running water, bath/shower, bed, chair and desk, sink, bit of a fridge if you want to keep perishables in your room. I can get some other stuff in there from storage if you want. Grabbing a spare oven or something wouldn't be a problem if you're not the social sort. Additionally if you need a particular power cable outlet I can accommodate that. If you're unsure, ask me and I'll see if i can help you find it...and since we haven't taken off yet if you forgot a major need...we could grab it. But, I think most reasonable things are probably in the...rather large storage. I, do not recommend going into storage alone. The unfamiliar could get lost."

"As for work...other than your duties or the case of an emergency, you can do whatever you want. If you are bored and need something to do you can always bother me and I can probably direct you to help with storage stockeeping or hydroponics tending or any number of things that can take an extra hand, but won't go awry without it..."

[knux400]

Mane snaps out of their trance at the description of the quarters.

"...Do we get windows? In the rooms?"

[Ignispark]

"By default, no. I can fix that though. Don't think about that too hard."

[knux400]

Mane is already thinking about that too hard. They just cock their head to the side, confused.

[skinstealer]

"Is th-" Supernova's cut off immediately by Krypton, the rafflemane bristling. "Can we put television in our room?! I can go get it myself from storage!"

[Ignispark]

"TV's already in the room. I only stocked some documentaries, technical guides, and learning media though...if you want something else you have to have brought it."

Xe looks over at Supernova. "What were you about to ask? Because if it's 'is that safe' the answer is...well, it's basically the same as the cockpit, but on a smaller scale. That's fairly safe in most reasonable scenarios."