Twokinds ARCHIVE Forums

"God plays dice. Shut up and get over it."-Richard Outleigh, Terran representative to the Alliance.

The Alliance of worlds, an interstellar government occupying a small part ("only" an entire spiral arm) of the milky way galaxy, is crumbling under it's own bureaucratic weight and petty infighting. Mankind is currently fighting a massive war with the most powerful race out there, the Arnor, and getting their collective [censored] kicked, piracy is rampant, and several systems have outright declared their own sovereignty. Don't even get me started on the robots and nanites. All in all, the galactic government is sliding into chaos.

that's where you come in. The Atonement, the ship you will be serving on, is the first ship containing an FTL travel system-a hyperdrive, in short. It allows the ship to quickly travel to almost any point in the alliance and bypass fortifications, as a disruption method has not been developed yet. Other ships must rely on wormholes generators, and therefore are limited to populated systems. The ship is just as important symbolically as physically; when announced, it will be a massive morale boost to the populace to see so many different people working together.

Now, I'm going to leave pretty much everything open to the players. The person who gets the captain spot will be under more scrutiny from me, but gets to choose where the overall story moves too, etc. I'll be doing a few more basic things, like describing settings.

Here's the code for the character sheet and the vehicles for pilots. If using a non-listed race for your character, be sure to state which of their abilites and weaknesses are racial traits. Players will be trusted not to be power-gaming nooblets or Mary sues.



note that you can have your character call a vehicle by a name, but you don't have to list that here.

Races, with complete information. Short summary: Terrans are humans IN SPACE, Arnor are planet-sized fungi who get robots to do all their fighting, Telmari are Dragonfly-people, Haulins are gender-changing quadrepeds, and Jahorians are rat-people from a desert planet. The rest is details.

Official/unofficial name:Terrans/humans
homeworld official/unofficial name:Terra/earth
Appearance:You know this one
Abilities:they're the mario of the races-no real speciality
Weaknesses:Lack of focus, not the best at absolutely everything
Ecological Background:Used their high intelligence to gain dominance.
Short history:Wars. Lots of them, and the rapid technological advancement that they spurred. They've even gotten up to where they have created their own races through genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. Unified government reached in 2345 after a series of meteor impacts.
Status in the Alliance:Newcomers, rash, and trying to improve their standing. They're one of the more common races, driven by an urge to explore, and make up the majority of the Atonement's crew.
Tech level:They've got advanced prostetics and fast space engines. Other than that, it's near modern-day technology, but better. Note that this means there are lasers and railguns.

Official/unofficial name: Telmari (from Lohti)
homeworld official/unofficial name: Tal III, Orega system
Appearance: on average 6'5", 180 lbs, the Taleron are a race of humanoid (two legs, two arms, one head) creatures with dragonfly-like wings on their back, sharp bones protruding from the outside of their legs and arms usable in combat, a light exoskeleton, and their eyes look completely dull green. Their native speech is that of a low chanting, which is quite musical to hear and some rumors state that they may have special powers in their speech. This is, of course, false. Their legs and arms are somewhat long in comparison to their bodies, and each appendage has five "Fingers" or "Toes", like humans. Their skin is light blue.

They have hair like humans, though that is one of their few similarities to them.

Abilities: Flying, nightvision, bones usable for unarmed combat, long lifespan (about 300 human years), can breathe any carbon, hydrogen or methane-based atmospheres.
Weaknesses: Arteries in the wings are easily severed.
Ecological Background: The Telmari have recently opened themselves up for trade with the rest of the galaxy after a long hiatus, Tal III is a primarily Humid, exotic jungle planet with three moons and two suns. the economy is largely based around the rare fruit that can only be grown in the Lithium Bicarbonate atmosphere that is said to prolong life.
Short history: The Telmari have recently opened themselves up from a self-induced blockade they put themselves under when war erupted amongst two empires in their own galaxy some millenia ago. They are unfamiliar with humans.
Status in the Alliance: Unaffiliated
Tech level: Relative to the "Chozos" in the Metroid series: Extremely advanced, but simplistic in functionality.

Official/unofficial name: Haulin / Cassian(s) (property of Sable Dove)
homeworld official/unofficial name: Haulis III / Cassia
Appearance: Heavy quadrupeds, about 150 cm at the shoulder. Fur-covered; two eyes, with a small gill-like slit under each eye. Muzzle is roughly 11-17 cm long and filled with razor sharp teeth. Their bodies are typically between 250 and 300 cm long (excluding tail). Tail generally extends 100-200 cm and is prehensile. Forepaws appear to be crudely formed hands (4 fingers and 1 thumb, but they are shorter and fatter than human fingers, and less dextrous). Manes are not uncommon, and often are different colours than their fur, which varies widely depending on their lineage and environment; the manes run from their crown to just below their shoulders. Average weights are between 200 and 300 kg.Their eyes are luminescent orange with no obvious pupils. Cassians are also renowned for their unique physiology: while they do have binary sexes, every three Terran months(beginning at the age of about 7 Terran years), their body changes to the opposite sex, a process usually lasting about one Terran month. This process can be put off for about a month or so by fasting. In about one one-thousandth of the population, this cycle moves at an unnaturally fast pace, changing every three weeks, and the process itself takes only one week. These individual generally die at about one half the age of a regular Cassian, unfortunately; they also tend to be either geniuses, or lunatics, and rarely sleep for more than an hour at a time.
- Plains => Tend to have brown or green fur. The most numerous kind of Cassian. (53% of population)
- Mountains => Usually have brown, red, orange, or grey fur. Tend to have a tail between 170 and 270 cm long for extra balance. (13% of population)
- Coastal => Always have blue or blue-green fur. Paws are webbed, and they have bodies between 280 and 340 cm long (not including tail). Tail is wide and flattened for swimming. (24% of population)
- Caves => Brown, grey, or black fur is most common. Much leaner and more flexible than the typical Cassian. Average weight is 150-220 kg. (10% of population)
Abilities: (natural) Thermal vision; Can filter low levels of poison in the atmosphere; as a species, they can adapt to almost any environment within three to four generations; can be agile and ferocious; very strong, and very resistant to stunning devices; incredible stamina, requiring only three hours of rest every fifteen (usually on that schedule, too).
Weaknesses: Relatively poor low-light vision; lifespan is roughly two-thirds that of a Humans; unable to use a lot of technology that is designed for humanoids.
Ecological Background: Haulis III, or Cassia, as it is known to its most advanced inhabitants, is almost entirely flat, and it is about 50% water. Of the land mass, about 78% is grasslands, and 23% is comprised of hills, valleys, and mountains. The temperature ranges from 14 to 44 degrees centigrade, and the entire planet is moderately humid (more so near large bodies of water, naturally). The planet is the third satellite orbiting the binary stars Hawsa A and Hawsa B. This creates a long day(12 hours) compared to the night(6 hours). With an axial tilt of nearly 0º, the planet doesn't really experience any change in season. Haulis III has two moons, both red, and one has an orbit of about four Terran months, and the other, an orbit of approximately one Terran month. This is thought to be a possible cause of the advanced aging of a small portion of the population.
Short history: The Cassians were created by an unknown alien civilization as an experiment to create a fast-adapting and hardy species; and they succeeded. The Cassians thrived even after their creators had died off due to their own pollution and inability to adapt what they had gained from the Cassians to themselves. After thousands of years of development, the Cassians were approached by the Alliance and, unlike what one would expect from a primarily predatorial species, they were generally peace makers with in the Alliance.
Status in the Alliance: Members of about 600 Terran years. Make love, not war.
Tech level: Very advanced personal energy shields and ballistic armour. Ballistic weaponry is a rarity, is mounted on their backs, and must be hardwired into the soldier's brain in order to track targets and be fired at a thought. Weapon systems range from chainguns to sniper rifles to rocket launchers, but only about one in every six soldiers is outfitted with a projectile weapon; the rest are equipped with high-frequency blades on their legs/paws and on occasion, as a horn-like protrusion on their headpiece. Even outside of the military, the Cassians have advance neural technologies, and many objects can be networked and activated by thought. This spacecraft tend to be sleek and have a 'swept-back' look to them. They are specifically designed for Cassians, and thus other species would have great difficulty piloting one.

Official/unofficial name: Jahorians
Homeworld official/unofficial name: Jahoria (Velta III)
Appearance: Humanoid-rats, ranging from 6-9 standard feet tall, thick fur (typically some shade of brown or beige, although white is common as well. Black- not so much about 1% of the population)
Abilities: Greater strength, stamina and agility (partly due to their tails)
Weaknesses: hamster bites, rapid temperature changes, cold slows them down
Ecological Background: Jahoria is predominantly a desert planet with a narrow belt of dense jungle around the equator and small ice caps. High temperatures, and huge sandstorms make living difficult. Orbits a red sun and has five small moons. The ‘shallow desert’ is mostly settled by cities while only brave or foolhardy people live in the deep desert- home of vicious sand dragons and large scorpion-like creatures believed to be ancestral Horzixians
Short history: During the early centuries of civilisation, Jahorians were divided into tribal groups and constantly fought each other over what passed for farmland in the deep desert. In the past two thousand years, they have left the bulk of their warlike history behind, although they still place high honour in the Warrior caste (there are only a few remaining ‘true’ warriors) and maintain the ritual, interconnected family system where each adult has the option to marry two of the opposite gender. About once every four generations, the cycle of the moons produces a ‘Black Night’ at the peak of a month long, total eclipse. At the height of the period, there is total blackness from dusk until dawn the next day. Children born during the eclipse often exhibit more aggressive traits (traditionally this is due to possession of some form of demon) and those born during the peak are born with black fur (Jahorians are born with white fur which darkens with age) and have a 50-50% chance of developing the ‘bloodwrath’ at a later period in life.
Late last century, the Mys Empire moved in and placed Jahoria and several dozen other systems under a strict dictatorship.
Status in the Alliance: Tentative under-the-table negotiations
Tech level: Tending toward ballistic infantry weapons, and lasonic vehicle weapons, about on par with 21st century humans only more efficient (and uglier, since everything is designed for practicality not looks)


Official/unofficial name:Arnorans/Ostifins (thinkers)
homeworld official/unofficial name:Arnor/Aerruv (home)
Appearance:Varies based on stage of life. When spores, they look like a red dust. When fully mature, they look more like a mass of red fibers covering a surface. The reproductive organs look like small spheres, but they are used so little that they are almost never seen.
Abilities:Photosynthesis, regeneration, ridiculous intelligence, can grow to cover planets, can form symbiotic relationships with other organisms, capable of fine manipulation with specialized growths, and immortal.
Weaknesses:Blind, deaf, injuries reduce it's intelligence, sessile. (can't move, except by growing.), and there's five mature individuals. Total.
Ecological Background:It started out as a small fungus. What made this fungus unique is that to an extent it could react to it's surroundings; animals that tried to attack it where squirted with enough acid to deter large herbivores and kill smaller creatures. Soon the individuals covered the entire planet and exhausted all sources of food, causing their rapid death. Well, except one. This one had developed a photosynthetic relationship with some red algae and was able to grow on it's own. the dead and decaying bodies of it's relatives aided the growth, and it was able to cover the planet's landmass and a signifigant chunk of the ocean, giving it a hellish red appearance from orbit.
Short history:This one individual found a cave filled with intricate stone engravings detailing space travel, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and most importantly, robotics. over a series of centuries, the fungus used it's own digestive juices and careful growth to make a robot. This robot went on to make other robots, so on and so forth, and the fungus eventually had a full space-based robotic empire at it's command. It eventually met other races, and started settling some of it's first offspring on other planets.
Status in the Alliance:High. You do not dis the giant hyper-intelligent space fungus.
Tech level: bordering on "sufficiently advanced" in some areas, such as robotics, but low in others, like healthcare. Currently the main treatment that they use for cancer is to have cells around the area commit suicide and fill it with enzymes to digest the tumor. They also build things to have a strange organic feel, but that's just so it looks cooler.

some side notes on the utterly awesome red space fungus: their language is entirely based off of hand gestures with the specialized growths, and their brains are in the form of nerve cells spread throughout their entire bodies. Ganglia such as the one they use are generally signs of a simpler intelligence, but the mature individuals have so many that they're smart. Having one as a symbiote means that you're either going to be digested by a fungus too stupid to realize it's killing you, or taking drugs for your entire life. The advantages to the host? Arnor tech is programmed to let you use it, and you can understand what the hell the waving arms sticking out of the ground mean. The robots still take orders primarily from the planet-sized fungi, though.

Jobs open (there are others, but these are the command positions.):
Captain-taken by butterball, page 2
First mate
AI
Mech commander-taken by blue62, this page
Starfighter commander-taken by blue 62, this page
Infantry commander-taken by Optix, page 3
Chaplain
DoctorTaken by lohti, this page
Mechanic-taken by foxlord, page 6
Diplomat-taken by Nikolai, page 3
unranked civilian-taken by sable, page 4
infantry-taken by Sable, page 4
infantry seargent- taken by nikolai, page 7.

Name: Talish R'Haurindi'ir
Age: 120
Species: Telmari
Abilities: Medically capable, excellent in learning what he doesn't already know.
Equipment: Telmari medical kit (contains an exotic tool useable only on Telmarians, useless on Humans, but basically a all-in-one tool)

Human medic kit

Weaknesses: loves human food. Perhaps a bit too much.
Job: Doctor
Appearance: Wears a normal doctor's coat suited to his stature and body composition, underneath that he wears a jumpsuit from Tal III. He has spare casual clothing in his quarters, which is oddly like human casual clothes.
Personality: Definitely the wizened, helpful listener type of person. He almost doubles as the ship psychiatrist, and when he's not treating someone, he's more than happy to lend an earhole.
History: Talish was simply delighted at this opportunity to learn more about humans and help them along the way, and since his Species had enough sense to blockade themselves off when a situation similar to the one the humans were in now, they have decided to do all they can to reach a nonviolent means to this war. However, this also means that some have thought that peace can only be attained through obliterating the enemy. Talish is one of the nicer Telmari.

Not entirely sure of the 'sure' meant I could use Jahorians, so I'll stick with what's there and keep me mate on the back burner.

Name: Corporal Gary Williams
Age: 23
Species: human
Abilities:
Equipment: Carries a [Colt 1911] .45 pistol with him in preference to energy based weapons
Weaknesses: stubborn and occasionally resistant to commands if (especially when) he can see a better way around the problem
Job: Snubfighter Squadron Leader (Star Fighter Commander in simple tongue lol)
Physical Description: of medium build,
Hair Style: close cut, shaggy
Colour: red
Length: 5-6cm
Eye style/colour: blue
Tattoos/distinctive markings: red beard
Clothing description: off duty- blue jeans, white t-shirt under blue jacket, light blue baseball hat, glasses, a red dog tag, and a blue and green rubber band bracelet (on duty a olive green flight suit with orange rank patches
Personality: comes across as slightly, he tries not to let his youthful enthusiasm for flight cause him to outspeak his capabilities. He is always cracking jokes and routinely talks to an opponent even if they can't hear him. Expects full trust among his wingmates but is willing to let them take 'point'. Take deaths seriously and will mark down the offending enemy for future reference- and personal elimination.
History: Born in a small town that didn’t even show up on most maps, he loved flying and took every chance he could get. Getting his licence to fly before he could drive, he enlisted in the Air Force as soon as he could and when the call of deep space caught him, he transferred out as fast as they would let him. Once he had achieved a rank of command (and his own fighter, promtly named Tactit One), he began forming a sort of subculture among those he commanded boosting performance rates to above squadron average. With their record, the group was transferred to the Atonement for the maiden cruise of the system (although they didn’t know it) and they have remained on station ever since.

Appearance: something like a cross between an SR-71 and an F-18 with F-111 tail fairings (will figure that out and attempt to photoshop something)
Type: Arkalite B slipfighter
Speed: MAx Mach 4.5 in Earth normal vacuum, approx. Mach 90 in vacuum
Terrain: air/vacuum
Weaponry: 2X heavy turbolasers, 4 Thunderhead multi-target missiles (2 internal, 2 external mounts)
Defences: chaff/flare dispensers (2x 50 uses), anti-warhead rockets (4)
Passive tech: ELINT comm scanner Mark 1 Jamming device.

Name: Rattrap 'Ghost' Gonzales
Race: Jahorian
Gender: male
Age: 35 Jahorian
Social class: lower
Job class: military
Rank: Commander
Military class: Mechon Speciliast
Appearance:
Height: 7' 2"
Weight: 290lbs
Physical Description: really just a large humanoid rodent (more rat than mouse)
Hair Style: ragged cut
Colour: black
Length: 3-4 inches
Eye style/colour: small pupils with deep blue iris'
Tattoos/distinctive markings: top teeth stick out slightly when mouth is closed
Clothing description: weapons pack, black leather belt, small gold ring on a sting around his neck (Marla's wedding ring)
Equipment: DC-87 HAC (Heavy Assault Carbine, plasma based, single-man support weapon)
Mk 4 Heavy Mechon equipped with a Mk3 Boresaw, a 175mm Particle Cannon, boosters and a quad rocket pack as weapons and a pair of Mk1 claw systems on reserve
Strengths: physically stronger and with better reflexes than most people he's met
Weaknesses: stubborn and steadfastly refuses to alter his personal tactics to conform to military standards, heavy radiation, hampster bites (lethally poisonous to Jahorians), extreme cold and temperature variations.
History: Born and raised under a firm but fair mother, who was an news anchor until she was officially assassinated by the reigning dictator, 'High King' Noggo Tarsus. The real story was that she was forcibly taken from their home for 'acts of treason' (speaking out against the oppression) and condemned to the Mys torture houses. Oblivious to all of this, yong Rattrap was sent to various foster homes and continues to have difficulty making friends to this day. After enlisting with a local security force (which was later disbanded under premise of insubordinate and treasonous talk) he served with distinction in a Jahorian mechon division during the Andiron rebellion. Eventually defecting with the son of a rebel leader, he purchased a black market freighter and escaped to Andiron. the rebels repaired his ship and supplied hm with weapons and supplies in exchange for help. Leading the final space battle against Mys Imperial forces, he left with his ship, the Derion and travelled the systems, lending the strength of both his natural fighting abilities and his heavy mechon (partial AI named Marla, after his mother). Arriving on Earth, he found work at first helping rebels in the African states and later with the Alliance proper. Selling his ship, he made Earth his permanent home and supplied some insights in Jahorian technology for the FTL device and transferred to the Atonement in time for the first trial runs.

'Marla':

Gary-approved
Ghost-approved
Talish-approved. I'll just call him Tal.

Is there a place for diplomat sorta people. I had an idea for a character who goes down to neutral planets and finds out if they want to join. If not he tries to distract the planet's top brass by removing the other negotiators and calling in the Marines... or whatever. Basically the guy who asks

sure. The Atonement is kinda like the Enterprise, but with more weapons. He might run into a document I've been working on called the "Coldwater Pact", which is a strategic weapons limitations treaty for alliance worlds. 'Course, that means it only applies to Alliance worlds, and every where else is considered fair game. It bans the use of orbital strike weapons on civilian targets, but other than that, I haven't worked out all the details yet.

I might take a little while to post mine for I still do have finals to worry about. By the way I've got my eye on the captain's chair.

Right. I'll post up a diplomat sorta guy and maybe some sort of infantry or pilot tomorrow or so.

Okay, I think I've got something.

Name: Captain Michael Ivan Richards
Age: 24
Species: Human
Abilities: A quick learner
Equipment: A communicator, that lets him talk to certain parts of the ship or anyone else with one, and a standard issue sidearm both of which he takes with him when he leaves the ship.
Weaknesses: Can be intimidated by his own age when important decisions need to be made (like a panic attack)
Job: Captain
Appearance: White male, with dark blond hair and brown eyes. He stands 5’8” and has a lean but muscular build. He wears an olive drab uniform with the captain’s insignia on it.
Personality: Holds crew morale as one of the most important functions of a ship. Prefers to resort to violence only as a last resort, but isn’t afraid arm weapons before the fight starts.
History: At a young age, Michael discovered that he had a talent for leadership. As soon as he could he signed on for leadership training. At the age of 21 he found himself to be the first mate of the cruiser, Goldenrod. On his third year serving, the Goldenrod was investigating the loss of communications with an outpost that was supposed to check in after a month long meteor shower (that interfered with comms) three months prior. Upon arriving at the outpost, they realized that the relay satellite had been stripped for parts and vandalized. While exploring the outpost, the security team found the bloody corpses of the workers and a few pirates. After the team returned, they became ill and it was soon realized that they had contaminated the ship with a new virus that had killed the workers and pirates. The virus attacked a part of the brain which caused the infected to live their worst fears and even be scared to death. Nearly a third of the crew was killed by the virus before the doctor could find a cure. Among the dead was the captain, leaving Michael in charge of the ship. While infected with the virus, he discovered that his age was what scared him most. After the mission, that also included a quick brush with a few pirates, Michael went on shore leave for a few months to know why his age scared him. Upon his return, he was offered the position as captain of the Atonement which he accepted with the words "Can I do this? Sure I can. I think." He is currently the youngest human to become captain of a starship.

So how's this?

hmmm.... as a fun sidenote, I think I'll make it an insult to be called "Tal", since that is the name of their planet. They translate that to mean that they're selfish, or thinking only about themselves, as if they're the only Telmari left. Having Tal as art of a name, however, nullifies the insult.

I'll join.
Can I use this character? (from the character thread)

Name: Kor-Lee Rang
Species: Ger’Kah Male (details in appearance)
Age: 9166 human years, 24 in Ger’kah years
Appearance: Rang stands 7’ tall and weighs in excess of 400lbs. He wears a black kimono and a red head band. His arms bulge with muscle mass and he has an eye in the back of his head.
The Ger’Kah are a race created, by accident, by Hell Worshippers. Over time these gentle beings were corrupted by demons and used by others as sacrifices to summon demons. This summoning has never worked and instead created the Ger’Kah, a race of beings that resemble humans yet are possessed by a Demon, resulting in slight transformations to appearance (large muscles, mutated faces, extra limbs, etc). All Ger’Kah are blessed with super-human strength and speed, making them worthy adversaries for fights and also making them a race of “perfect”, or near perfect, fighters. This is helped by the fact that Ger’Kah have a high resilience to pain.
However, the Ger’Kah believe that they can’t lose a fight, leading to them being overconfident and sometimes under-estimating their opponents.
Ger’Kah tend to stick together and form tribes. They tend to live in the desert as this is where they are least disturbed by others. As such they can go for weeks without any water.
Equipment: Rang carries a great axe but rarely uses it, instead relying on sheer strength and speed. He also has a standard issue side-arm and a whip to discipline incompetent soldiers.
Job: Infantry Commander
Personality: Rang is reserved and rarely talks. When he talks it is to answer direct questions and to inform people of important information or to give them orders.
Virtues: Superhuman strength and speed, great resilience, eye in the back of his head, can go weeks without water.
Vices: Occasionally overconfident
History: Rang is one of the only Ger'Kah left in existence. His entire tribe was wiped out and most others were also. Ger'Kah were distrusted for many centuries as they were referred to as "Abominations" and "Hell Spawn". As a result they were hunted down and wiped out. Rang managed to escape this hunt and joined the crew of the Atonement as the infantry commander. He is extremely harsh to people that act stupidly and when he gives orders they are generally followed, lest he pull out his whip to discipline people who don't obey.

Captain micheal-approved! excellent. Now my politicians will have someone to manipulate. And better yet, he's human.
Kor-Can you change it so that they just selected the ones who looked the most demonic and killed the rest? The partial possesion bit doesn't really fit with the distinct lack of magic in this setting.

>.< not to mention that it's pretty obvious why they would always underestimate their foes -- they're near perfect fighters. Who'd be able to beat them?