Serenity/Firefly: Hole in the Black IC

[Conners]

((OOC: ...... How about a couple of fun scenarios?
Example: One-Eye and Ryder, for some unexplained reason, are arm wrestling. Note: If Lee doesn't want to, someone else can take his place.))


Gripping tightly, Ryder pull with all his strength against the mercenary's arm. Strength - (1d8)[4] + Vitality - (1d6)[2] = 6


((OOC: We start out with our arms in the middle. We both make an opposed Strength + Vitality check. The person with the higher score pushes the other's arm one step to their side. Win twice in a row from the middle and you get their arm on the table.
Example: [W][][S][][W]
S = Starting position. W = Win. Every time you win a check you get your opponent's arm closer to their "W", when they're pushed onto the square with their "W", you win.
Let's say 2 out of 3.))

[Rachel Lorelei]

Jin Wei-Li

"Wei! This Hole in the Black?"
The baritone voice is that of the young man who's standing at the entrance to the Hole's cargo bay: Chinese in appearance, with sharp cheekbones, a braid going down to the small of his back, and a lean, wiry build. He's got practical traveling clothes--a shirt he obviously doesn't care too much about, a brown leather vest, pants that maybe weren't quite as dust-brown at the beginning of the day. There's a large pack on his back, and a rifle peeks over his shoulder; he raises one hand in a smooth wave. His voice brims with confidence, and he projects so it carries clearly without him shouting.
"Heard you lot are hiring and then heading out of here! Suits me fine, so I thought as I'd check if you need security--you're headin' Rimward, things get rough out there."

[Sunfall]

"No problem." Grace gives Alex a smile, putting down her hat and taking up a bag with some bulging shapes in it. "Won't take long at all. Merchandise was paid for ages ago. Trader's just round the corner, if I remember right." Her gaze shifts to Lee, and she adds: "Well, if you're that twitchy, you can come with me. I'd fancy someone who could carry a bit of a crate... Just try not to get yourself shot again, will ya?" With that, she dreamily saunters out of the garden, taking the bulging bag with her.

~*~

"You're quite right here, young man, this bein' the Hole", Grace remarks to Wei-Li as she ambles out of the cargo bay - barefoot, as usual. "Bit of brawn couldn't hurt, I reckon. Captain's right back there, nice young woman with a sandwich and maybe the odd scrap metal part in her hand. Can't miss 'er."

With that, Grace steps off the platform - and into a steaming swad of cow dung (as she wasn't looking where she was going). With a somewhat astonished expression she looks down, then, slowly, a broad smile erupts on her face.

"Aaah, farming planets", she remarks offhandedly.


((Wei-Li is his first name, is it?))

[Rachel Lorelei]

((Jin's his first name--I'm guessing Teh Futar uses English FirstName-FamilyName conventions.))

Up close, the young man is perhaps eighteen to twenty years old. His nose has a small dent in it, the kind that happens when it gets broken a couple too many times to set quite right; a thin white scar peeks out from under his shirt collar, crossing his collar bone; he's tall, if not extraordinarily so, and compact, like a wildcat. He's got the appearance of a bruiser, but a crooked grin lights up his face, and it makes him look a sight more friendly.
"Yeah, niao fun's a common problem 'round these parts. But, hey, look--they've come up with these fancy newfangled things of late t'help with that? They call'em boots. Just... sayin'."

He twitches his neck to the side with an audible crick, and suddenly shifts from standing to walking into the ship, his own boots making noise on the cargo bay's floor.
"Hoy, Captain!"

[mainiac]

((Didn't think Jin and Ryder would come from somewhere quite so rustic, but that's they're fault for not specifying where they got on eh?

Thinking up a list of when people signed on. First batch is Alex and Annalise, as they'd be the ones getting the ship up and running. Lee would soon after as they need some muscle to protect what's they're. A couple of weeks later Hole in the Black is ready to fly and they sign up Grace and Kim Hun Lee (the pilot Trevor was to replace) for the maiden voyage, a trip to Boros to get some parts from a buddy of Alex.
Another week on Boros follow's as they upgrade some of the worse off equipment. Kim leaves and Trevor takes his place. They do a milk run mission to Persephone and look around for a doctor and some interior equipment, medical supplies, things for the rec room, etc. They sign up Ryder and Jin on Persephone, head to the moons to get some gear on the cheap and are officially open for business.
Don't know where Boran fits in. You said something about him robbing a crew member but I don't yet know which. If your still lookin' for someone to rob, it could be Alex, letting him get in even before Annalise.
So, thought's? Concerns?))

"Hey!" Alex waves to the newcomer as she walks down the stairs into the cargo bay. She's ditched the dirty work clothes, wearing now a pair of tan slacks, a short sleeved white dress shirt and a ratty old sweater tied around her waist. She's fiddling with the sweater as she walks, trying to make it conceal the six shooter she's got holstered at her side.
"Captains only my formal name." she explains as she steps onto the floor and walks over to the prospect. "Most o' the time I go by Alex Gibbs." She extends a handshake and casually looks him over. "I'm heading to town right now, gots to hunt me down some wayward crew. Bit of a walk, you want to come with?" Alex leads the way back out of the ship, stepping over what plagued Grace without even needing to look and starts off in a casual stride.
"So, I take it you're a bit of the fightin' type, right? Truth be told, I wasn't lookin' for another hired gun truth be told but it never hurts. You seem a bit young for a hired gun though, there a story there?"

[Conners]

((Actually, I figured this is the moon we were going to. Ryder has gone off to get medical supplies--watching his step as he goes (even though he is wearing those newfangled things called boots :D).))

Ryder walks through the rustic town, making sure no pickpocket get at his mousetrapped belongings (he has set mousetraps in his stuff...). After walking a while, he finally comes to the place. "Good morning!" he greets the shop owner enthusiastically, "I've come for the medical supplies!" After some pleasant conversation, Ryder begins the course of trying to haggle the price down (preferably with a female shop owner).
[roll=Influence]1d12+1d2[/roll] (Sweet and Cheerful, Allure) + Intelligence - (1d10)[8] =
Using his knowledge of medical supplies, prices for them, and what they're worth selling on such a backwater moon--Ryder tries to get the best deal for himself and the crew, without offending the shop owner--if possible.

[Conners]

((Stupid rolls....))

Influence - (1d12)[12] + Influence - (1d2)[2] (Allure, Sweet and Cheerful) + 8 = 22

((Wow ...... that was lucky.....))

[Kyuss]

Lee bows to both of those in the garden, and scratches his head.

"Sorry, Ms. Grace...but, uh, well...sorry.

Anyway, cap'n, I ain't gettin' antsy, I'm gettin' itchy, there's a difference. Antsy is me wantin' to shoot things, and itchy is me wantin' to get off this rock and back out ta the black. We been outta the black for two weeks now, and only for what?"

He interupts himself and looks down at the bulletholes in his shirt. With a look of recollection on his face, and moves on in his conversation.

"Yeah, Ms. Willows, I'll help ya. I'm more than willin' to get outta here while the doc's chattin' it up with Anna...and the rest of the crew."
---------------------------------------------
A time later, Lee follows Grace out from the Hole's cargo hold out onto the surface. As he passes by Jin, Lee's good eye meets with his two. Lee gives him a cold stare, as if sensing everything that the other young man is doing. After a moment, Lee breaks his stare, and begins paying his attention back to Grace.

"Alright Ms....we ready to shop?"

[ancalimohtar]

((Didn't think Jin and Ryder would come from somewhere quite so rustic, but that's they're fault for not specifying where they got on eh?

Thinking up a list of when people signed on. First batch is Alex and Annalise, as they'd be the ones getting the ship up and running. Lee would soon after as they need some muscle to protect what's they're. A couple of weeks later Hole in the Black is ready to fly and they sign up Grace and Kim Hun Lee (the pilot Trevor was to replace) for the maiden voyage, a trip to Boros to get some parts from a buddy of Alex.
Another week on Boros follow's as they upgrade some of the worse off equipment. Kim leaves and Trevor takes his place. They do a milk run mission to Persephone and look around for a doctor and some interior equipment, medical supplies, things for the rec room, etc. They sign up Ryder and Jin on Persephone, head to the moons to get some gear on the cheap and are officially open for business.
Don't know where Boran fits in. You said something about him robbing a crew member but I don't yet know which. If your still lookin' for someone to rob, it could be Alex, letting him get in even before Annalise.
So, thought's? Concerns?))

That's exactly what I think you guys should figure out. How the story starts. Who gets on when, where, and why. I think they've decided Boran will be getting caught by Annalise, by the way.

Also, it's really unfortunate the Serenity book has a butchered version of Mandarin in it. I'm updating the OP with how a few common phrases are supposed to sound.

After some pleasant conversation, Ryder begins the course of trying to haggle the price down (preferably with a female shop owner).
Using his knowledge of medical supplies, prices for them, and what they're worth selling on such a backwater moon--Ryder tries to get the best deal for himself and the crew, without offending the shop owner--if possible.

You get some of them for a mediocre price. The rest aren't available here. I'm including what you got for free with the ship, since it's the start of the game. You should stop impulsively rolling for everything, haha.

[Conners]

((But if I have to ask every time about rolling, then it'll make things take a lot longer... And, I figured I'd get the supplies for free with the roll I managed, LOL !))

Ryder heads back to the ship with the supplies. "I've stocked the infirmary, Captain!" he tells Alex, "we can head out as soon as we're ready!"

((I'm getting antsy! Let's find something where we shoot a lot of people, and fast !))

[roninkelt]

Abel

falls in on the other side of Cap'n Alex as she and old one eye head into town. "Did I hear you right ma'am? You lookin for crew?" He removes a somewhat battered, shapeless hat. "Abel's your man, I can turn a hand at whatever needs doin', but mostly I'm a damn good cook, beggin yer pardon. I been out in the black prospectin as of late, but now I'm lookin fer a ship that ain't as small nor plannin to spend as much time away from blue skies." He smiles, showing off perfect teeth. Something about him is damn likeable, almost as if meeting a friend who's been away for quite a while.

Short cropped curly hair, a craggy, handsome face somewhat covered by a beard and lively green eyes. A battered vacc suit peeks out from under his duster with the helmet tucked under his arm.

[Sunfall]

((Oh, I'm sorry - I thought I'd read we were on Beylix, I'd even checked it up in the book So we're on Persephone? Wouldn't be a problem, they have cows there, too. Grace wouldn't notice which exact planet it was, anyway - at least for a certain amount of time. Her orientation, however, is always good, provided that she has been there before. I like that she was one of the first crew members to hire, that way it already seems as if she has been there forever ))

Grace stops at a watering hose to briefly wash her feet and heads on determinedly towards a certain trader's booth (Lee presumably trailing behind her). It's large, almost a shop already, and stuffed with all manners of agricultural supplies, seeds and spices.

"Hey there", Grace smiles and plonks the bag she was carrying onto the grimy counter. "Lot 24, paid for in advance with the rest of the payment right 'ere." The bag is filled with a variety of brown, earthy, inconspicious bulbs, and as soon as it has changed hands, a crate and s small sack are indicated. Grace quickly leafs through the innards of the crate, nodding now and then, ticking off a memorized list. Seeing her concentrate like this is quite strange, as she usually is so oblivious to things.

Then, she lifts the sack off the ground, releasing a huff of unpleasant odor. "Yes, that's it", she remarks, carefully taking the bag in both hands. "Best Fertilizer in the 'Verse. Unfortunately only works with real earth. Lee, hon - would you mind takin' tha' crate, please?"

[Nelphine]

(Yeah I came with Annalise, though that might be Alex at the same time if you two start things up. Just means all 3 of us do. Maybe I overheard good prices for you.)

"Cap'n! Before you and Lee and Grace go out looking for crew, you guys might want your connection to the Hole." Boran hands Alex one of his eavesdroppers. "I've got it plugged into the main system; if you need anything just holler and Trevor or I will hear you. I'm going to see if Anna an' me can't figure out how to get a proper two way system connected to the ship's system, so we can actually chat while yer out shoppin'."

[Kyuss]

Lee hoists the crate up onto his shoulder, minding the ceiling above him. Looking around at the plants in the store, he yawns, having a rather rough night. Taking a note of the shopkeep, and the area behind the counter, he wearily yawns again, unable to cover his mouth due to the crate.

"O' course, Ms. T'would be my pleasure."

[Rachel Lorelei]

Jin Wei-Li

"Yeah, well--I'm also a planet-class gymnast and a brilliant chess player, but that hardly pays well out here." The young man gives an easy shrug and clasps Alex's hand in a firm handshake; calluses on his hands, in the places guns leave them.
"No real story. Was raised military; joined young, left young--all legit, mind you, not a case of dishonorable discharge. Felt like seeing the 'Verse."

When Lee passes by, the 'kid' meets his single eye, face expressionless, without looking away. He's got a hard, unmoving gaze, except for a moment in which his brown eyes go distant then refocus--he holds the stare for a second longer, and then gives the older man an incline of his head, half tilt, half nod--an acknowledgement between professionals as much as a man's brusque greeting.

Then all of a sudden, he's shifted, and he's two steps into following Alex in an eyeblink. There's something very distinctive, and almost dangerous, about the warningless way he goes from stillness to motion without the usual preambles of twitching muscle or shifted gaze: if it weren't so smooth, it'd be the kind of sudden motion that causes people to reach for their holsters.
"Jin Wei-Li, Captain," he introduces himself--and there's enough millions of those on the planets he doesn't even need to lie.
"Sure, I'll come along. --The fact is, you can't go hopping around the Rim without getting into any number of fights, be they fists or guns. And when that happens, there isn't a better man on this planet to have on your side. Now, plain as day I'm not exactly impartial here, but I were you? I'd hire me."
He flashes another grin.

[Koji]

Trevor Zane

Satisfied with the ship's startup sequence, Trevor pulls the final switch and the ship takes flight. He eases the controls back a bit and slowly climbs into a higher altitude. As he does so, the ship shudders a bit, whipped about by the stormy skies, but as it was designed to withstand far worse, he guides it forward without worrying overmuch.

"Looks like smooth sailing from here out."

Spoiler

Show

Pilot Check: 2d12=9

[Nelphine]

As Alex and Jin are talking, Boran watches; he knows the captain knows what she's about, but he doesn't know Jin. At the sudden shift in Jin's posture Boran realizes Jin is probably much better than Boran had realized.

Muttering something about 'wonder what else he has' Boran carefully looks Jin over. (1d12)[7] (1d6)[5] (Alertness + Perception) {Got anything hidden on you? (Presuming I roll well..)}

"Cap'n, I think this one's shiny. He seems to be on his toes.. and maybe he'll give Lee someone to punch up with when he's gettin' antsy about the Hole, and I won't get in so much trouble when I move his guns about... Jin you won't mind me erm.. moving.. your stuff will you?"

[Rachel Lorelei]

((I'm a little confused. Jin and Alex are leaving the ship and heading for town. Grace and Lee have already done so and are in town, I think. Boran is... coming along?

*rolls her Covert secretly* Nope, nothing special on him besides whatever is in his pack--it's one of those big tall military-style backpacks, though.))

[Nelphine]

(Sorry, I had placed myself at the exit around the time you showed up; I had thought you did your little scene while you were still near the ship, so I was just interjecting; mostly just to say 'look we met, yay!'.. but otherwise, no I'm not going with you guys back out.)

(Further note of timeline for this particular thing..
Ryder comes to ship. Ryder meets various people, goes to garden. Ryder goes to town. Grace goes to town. Alex and Lee go out. As Grace leaves, and after Ryder is gone, Jin arrives. Grace and Jin talk, Grace leaves. Boran makes comment to Alex as she is leaving. Jin meets Alex and Lee. Boran watches, makes comment. Alex, Lee and Jin leave. Lee sprints off to catch up to Grace. Abel meets Alex (and presumably Jin). There is a bit of a discrepancy in that Lee and Grace are together, but Alex and Lee are together.. so.. to make that work.. I had Lee sprint off, even if it's a bit odd. At some later point Ryder comes back, presumably before everyone else.)

[ancalimohtar]

Sunfall, check your PMs. Let me know what you think, if you want me to change anything.

[Sunfall]

((Got your PM alright, ancalimohtar, thanks a bunch! Needed some time to think of alterations, hope you don't mind. Sent you a PM and a pic via e-mail, hope it gets through...))

[mainiac]

((I'm a little confused. Jin and Alex are leaving the ship and heading for town. Grace and Lee have already done so and are in town, I think. Boran is... coming along?))

((Yeah, I'm a bit confused my own self. Everything's a whirl!))

((Hey Abel, would you mind re-doing your arrival for it to happen at an earlier or later time then Jin and Ryder in the same way that Trevor's is? For one thing, it would make thing it makes this mess a little less confusing and for another thing, it offends my rp'ers sense of pride to have three completely unrelated characters show up in such rapid succession. We might as well meet up in a tavern at that rate.))

"Hm..." Alex noted noncommitedly as she heard Jin's odd claims of gymnastic and board game ability. She put much more stock in the callouses pondering them to herself. Then she see's the way he moves and raises an eyebrow at that, the subtlety clearly not being lost on her. Seeing Boran coming up behind them, Alex holds up a fist in the military "hold" signal and turns to face him. "Oh, hey Boran, thought you were in town with Trevor. Trevor did head to town right? Anyway, this 'ere's Jin, Jin, Boran." As she speaks, Alex takes the bug and slips it into the ratty old sweater. She listens to Boran before offering a warning that would be a bit cryptic to an outsider though Boran would obviously know what it's about. "Hey, Boran, be nice to the new guy for me, alright? You only get to make a first impression once, and remember what happened with One Eye. Well, hey, can you head back to Annalise and make sure I'm coming through? All the remodeling we've been doin' of late I'd be a bit surprised if we can even get basic recievin'." Alex shakes her head before leadin' Jin towards town again, explainin' as she went. "Hole in the Black's only been runnin' a short while now so we're still workin' through the kinks. You don't have to worry about her fallin' apart though, I'm the one puttin' her together and I'm good, graduated S.I.T. Where'd you graduate from anyway?"
Alex's tone continued to be casual and the folksy twang she was using helped keep that air up, but someone real sensative to these things might imagine Jin unnerved her a bit, made her think he wasn't on the level.

[Jannex]

((OOC: Wow, a lot's happened in the day or so I've been away! I'll try and catch up.

Oh, and yeah, I think we'd determined that Annalise was the one to first encounter Boran--I think it works pretty well, since they probably do a lot of "shop talk" about the sensors and electronics. Also, though I haven't had the chance to sit down and write out my backstory yet -- -- Annalise is actually from Boros; of course, she might have already left home by the time she got around to signing on with the Hole.))

After the new doc leaves to go round up supplies, Annalise heads up to the bridge, to work on fine-tuning the new communications rig that she and Boran have been working on. She stops short in the doorway when she sees the young stranger sitting in the pilot's seat. "Hey there, she says, entering the room and finding a console to lean against. "I don't think we've been introduced. Name's Annalise." She gives him a friendly smile.

[Sunfall]

"Oh, Lee, dear, didn't ya sleep long enough? Again?" Grace sizes the big man up with an inquiring look. "You've to sleep once in a while, ya know..."

She gives the shopkeep a last nod and walks out of the booth, the sack in her hand, this time carefully minding where she's treading. Truth be told, Grace never sleeps too well herself, so she feels sympathetic to anyone (especially young people) who seems tired (or hungry, for that matter, or sad).

"I could make ya a nice valerian tea once we're in space, for after dinner... Whaddaya say, huh? Speaking of dinner", she mutters more quietly to herself, "I think the squash'll need ter be used up or they'll go soft... Little celebration's due, anyway, with all the new people on board. Maybe some fried tomatoes, too, an' a bit of dill..."

((I'll be away now - back on Monday. Just take Grace back to the ship ))

[ancalimohtar]

A few things. One, I'll be heading home for the holidays, so there will be a few days of transit time I'll be missing. I won't have my computer anymore, so most likely, no more Dundjinni or Photoshopping until January ().

Second, more importantly, we have someone willing to play one of two characters. One is a former captain of his own ship, who got mutinied and now has no money or possessions beyond his own dogfighting ship. This character would be piloting his little interceptor in space combat or deterrence, chasing away pirates or whatnot.

The second character would be Xiao Feng. His backstory is on his public sheet here: http://ancalimohtar.googlepages.com/xiaofengpublic.xls He'd be applying as a manual laborer, who doesn't remember his past, but who is excellent at hand-to-hand fighting, and who can shrug off damage like it's nobody's business. He's got over 250 skillpoints, in lots of very cool stuff, and he's discovering who he is and was.

The player likes both characters, and wants to see what you guys pick.

[Conners]

((I'm not really certain.... We do need someone who can fight with a ship, don't we? If not, I'd guess the other guy.))

[Kyuss]

((Lee probably would've been on pretty early in the Hole's career. He probably would've been drawn by the crew...))

Lee gives the shop owner a bow, and after making sure the box is well balanced, he follows Grace out of the store. His spurs clik and clak in the dust and dirt, and beads of sweat form on his brow.

"It ain't so much I ain't been sleepin' as I don't think I got all of my blood back yet. I think I'm still a mite 'nemic. For dinner, though, I think a bit of yer pineapple rice may be in order, personally. If anything, we should be celebratin' finally gettin' off this rock. And maybe I could enjoy that tea over some bonzai lessons later on."

After a few mintues, the two re-enter the Hole. Lee follows Grace up to the garden and carefully places the crate in a small corner off to the side. He gives her a bow and begins to exit.

"If ya need any help with dinner, gimme a shout. I'll be in ma' bunk."

Fumbiling on the keypad of his bunk, Lee catches a quick glimpse of Annalise around the command cabin. With a heavy sigh, he opens the door, enters, and locks it behind him. After pushing all of the parts and bullets of his bed to the floor. He pulls out a locked chest from under his bed and opens it. From it, he pulls a small viewscreen that begins to show a scene in poor quality. A group of men and women are gathered around a haul of crates and ammo belts, all wearing the same loose, brown dusters. They all have looks of elation on their faces until a large man wearing Lee's eyepatch approaches the capture. His coat is different, having a larger collar and captain's stripes on the shoulder. He places his hand in front of the capture, and it shuts off. Lee takes off his eyepatch, and puts his momentos away.

[Conners]

((Can we be gettin' to our shoot-em-up mission soon ?))

[Sunfall]

((I like the idea of a captain with nothing left but a little interceptor ship - meeting his mutinous crew again some time might prove an interesting plot hook... Also, it would be good to have someone experienced who could fill the yet vacant position of first mate, wouldn't it?))



Grace smiles forlornly at Lee and nods. "Pineapple rice it is, then, and maybe later a nice spearmint tea instead. Helps ter build up your iron resources. But only if you promise to get enough sleep anyways..." She watches as he sets down the crate.

"Thanks, Lee. Yeah, I'll holler if I need help with the cookin'." She gives him a little wave and starts to gather some of the overripe squash into a small basket. She then proceeds to the tomatoes and finally adds a very small pineapple to the lot. "Hm", she muses to herself. "Just won't grow bigger. Seems we'll have ter get another breed of those sometime..."

[Koji]

She stops short in the doorway when she sees the young stranger sitting in the pilot's seat. "Hey there, she says, entering the room and finding a console to lean against. "I don't think we've been introduced. Name's Annalise." She gives him a friendly smile.

Trevor maintains his hold on the controls, and his dead-still gaze forward does not waver for a long, uncomfortable period of time. His lips move slightly, mouthing the words Annalise spoke over and over as he performs a delicate maneuver. Satisfied with his adjustment, he locks the controls, then looks up at the young woman. He meets her gaze for a moment, then blushes and looks down at her feet, his furry hat's earflaps comically bobbing up and down from the sudden motion.

"I'm...wait, what'd you say?" He asks. He shakes his head and mumbles, "Sorry, you meant--er, I'm Trevor. Trevor Zane. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He stands to greet her, but bangs his head hard on an overhead display. Without a sound he sits back down and holds his hand to his head, eyes shut tight.