An Unexpected Cargo (OOC and Casting Call)

You are a crewmember onboard the Matheson, a large interstellar cargo rig which undertakes long-haul space journeys between star systems. You work for Icarus Interstellar Haulage, an intergalactic courier company. The crew of the Matheson is placed in cryosleep for the long periods of time it takes the Matheson to traverse the vast, cold expanses of space between star systems. Even with the hyperspace drive journeys can result in months of cryosleep interspersed with short but busy periods of activity whenever the ship takes on board new cargo or drops off old cargo.

The ship is vast but the crew is small (typically between 4-6 members), the ship’s AI is responsible for maintaining most of the ship when the crew are in cryosleep. The computer’s AI is known as S.A.L. 3000 (Sapient artificial life 3000 series), known simply as Sal by the crew. Able to process thousands of terabytes of information a second she is the guardian that watches over the crew and regulates most of the ship’s systems even when the crew are awake.

The story takes place when the crew are unexpectedly brought out of cryosleep by Sal during a routine ore-drop in the Tanis belt cluster. Once awoken the crew learn they are to take on board new cargo from an approaching ship. The type of cargo is not specified and when the military-grade transporter ship finally docks with the Matheson and cargo is taken aboard they are informed to ‘ask no questions’. They will be paid well, their bonuses will be tripled and if they don’t accept the cargo they’ll be fired by the company anyway, so what have they got to lose by earning three times their normal pay for a relatively short course alteration?

This story will revolve around the events surrounding the Matheson’s cargo and it’s journey to it’s destination. All is not as it seems and slowly, but surely, things onboard the ship start going wrong.

This isn’t a final list of crewmembers, so I’m open to including a couple more slots (a science bod, for example), but here are the positions I have so far, subject to changes (so try not to have your heart set on one role, I may end up scrapping it).

1. Captain. MaiusImperium

2. Flight Lieutenant. - Second in command, issues orders in the Captain’s stead and generally makes sure the crew behave. IXIHawkeyeIXI

3. Navigator. – A mentally exacting job, must have a keen scientific and mathematical mind to cross-check Sal’s hyper drive jump calculations and is responsible for ‘piloting’ the Matheson. DerelictionofSanity

4. Technician/Engineer – Responsible for fixing systems that break, ensures that repairs are made when the automated repair systems fail.
thanatos64
magbeam

5. General dogsbody/tea lady - Britwitch

6. S.A.L.3000 - Its...she![]MaidofMarvels

Some important points for those interested to consider.

1) – This is not a boinkfest thread. I am happy to have people shagging, but I’d rather avoid it becoming the bulk of the thread. This is a plot-driven thread about the trials and tribulations the crew shall face transporting this cargo to it’s destination. Shag all you want, but please don’t ‘pair off’ and leave the plot of the thread.

2) – Despite the ship having a captain the atmosphere onboard the ship is very much civilian in style. There are no standard uniforms save for jumpsuits with company and Matheson insignias. And since they’re thousands of light years away from company HQ there is no real compulsion to wear those jumpsuits until they reach their destination. The general feel of the ship is utilitarian. The Matheson is built to last with economic constraints in mind.

3) – The twists and turns of this thread are still being formed in my head and if you are expecting an IC thread quickly you may be disappointed. Once this thread gets up and running I hope to keep it moving smoothly, but before I start it I want to get everything in my head written down so lack of drive on my part will not lead to this thread dying off. This is a preliminary testing of the waters.

4) – I’d like to accept other player’s ideas about where to take this thread. The ultimate ending of this thread isn’t predefined, though I do have a number of challenges for our crew to overcome on the way to that end.

5) - As you might have guessed I'd prefer to have people on board who can write more than a couple of sentences.

If you’re interested just post and let me know. If we can get a few good people to play we might have a good thread on our hands.

I am new to rpg's, but was wondering if maybe you would concider a military gaurd for the corgo? he would have no info of the corgo his only orders being to insure arives at it's destination.

Sounds like a very interesting thread, but yours usually are...

Perhaps a medical officer would be required 'by law' on board but finds little to do, most of the time anyway...

Anyway, if you think you need one, would love to give it a try...or any other role you think I could do justice to

Hey, just saw this thread and found it incredibly interesting. I'm always looking for something challenging - they're the most exciting, and I always enjoy myself more from them. I'd be willing to maybe take on the second in command if no one else wants it.

The screen crackles and flickers...

I'd totally love to play the engineer. I'm a huge fan of the show firefly and I've rped for over a year on a board dedicated to it, I play an engineer there so I'd carry her over from there and use her here. I'd fit in well, though my characters a virgin. Might be interesting to have another member of the crew interested in her and vice versa then we could work on that virgin status. So you okay with me joining?

If your still looking for a science person or navigator type- I'd love to try it if ya still got room

This idea looks shiny. I'm ready and willing to excepta ny job I can get. And i'm pretty good at stay on plot unless a really hot guy comes by. Just tell me what do and where to go, captain.

kfrye - i was going to ask if your name was a reference to Kaylee (I'm a big firefly fan myself) until I noticed your post. I think it would be cool to have a chipper person like her on board.

You'll love my character Reese. Pretty much Kaylee though she's a bible-thumper, actually other than being a cheery and young they don't have a lot in common. Okay so yeah I'll get the app up asap.

Name: Reese Foster

Age: 19

Appearance: 5'5" 116lbs dyed auburn hair, pale complexion, brown eyes, wear's mostly coveralls, but when on planet likes dressing in bright coloured clothes.

Equipment: She has a bag of clothes, a basic mechanics/electrician kit, and a encyclopedia


Personality: Cheery and a little naive, daughter of a shepherd she grew up religious but as she got older she found the idea of an afterlife a bit improbable. She's got a knack for electronic devices and mechanics and is also a fine cook, benefits of a preachers child. She is intelligent but can some times be too trusting of other people. Being so young she has a lot to learn about the workings of the galaxy. She can also be clumsy at times, which while driving her crazy has endeared her to many people. She doesn’t like being ignored since she’s always been told what to do and how to do it. She doesn’t feel she gets taken seriously most times and can get very annoyed but isn’t one to hold a grudge. She has an amazing ability to be empathic towards everyone, even those who most others would deem not worthy of it. Prone to fear and trauma she isn't brave in any way.

Hope that's all you want. I can make changes.

Alright, could I ask people to cool their jets a moment here? I'd prefer it if character bios weren't submitted until I've actually decided who will be in this thread.

It's...She! is already onboard as the ship's AI, that was arranged before I even put the thread up.

thanatos and Hawkeye...I'm read some of your previous posts and I like both of your styles so I'd like to have you guys onboard in some form or another.

I'm not sure how I feel about having a guard for the cargo onboard the ship, I'm trying to keep military-type personel off the ship and having a guard for the cargo would kind of upset what I have in mind for the future of the thread. But I'd still like you have you around as a member of the crew, if that's ok with you?

Brit, I'd completely forgotten we needed a doctor/nurse type! Though I imagine SAL3000 has a very extensive medical squite onboard the ship there's no harm in having someone to provide the human touch. Do you have a vision of the character you had in mind? Could you PM me with your thoughts about what the doc/nurse type character is like?

Brains, and kfrye I've gone over some of your post history and I don't think you're suitable for my thread. Your characters seem to very sex-focused and that's not what I want for this thread, leaving aside your (in general) short posts. Thankyou for showing interest though.

Same with you Ilara...I think you have good potential to be a fluent writer but your structuring seems a bit wayward, at least for me and i'm a bit of a stickler for such things.

Don't want any that have been turned down to be offended, we all want different things from writing and that's fine.

Thanks for letting me know, I'll try to start thinking a bio for a character, if that's alright. I won't post it for a bit til things get sorted out a bit more, but i'll begin working on it.

Great stuff Hawkeye, there's no rush Oh, should have put in my last post, I'm cool with you being the Flight Lieutenant (the XO).

My bed is yelling at me to go to it right now but I shall PM you soon (probably in the morning) with an outline of the Doctor/Medical Officer I had in mind...

Thanks, I was actually about to ask if that was an okay role. When I get something drawn up, I'll PM you to see what you think and get your input before I post it.

thanks for the invite, I think tech/engineeer would be best than. I will come up with a bio and pass it on for your approval. if that is where you would like me to serve.

Sounds fine to me thanatos.

Just pointing out there's still at least one position open for a lady-navigator.

A potential navigator arises

While I'm most comfortable playing a male character, I would be potentially interested in filling the role of navigator. If I need to play a woman in order to do so, I suppose I could manage that. While most of my literotica posts are on the sexual side, I've been writing fantasy (with occasional departures into science fiction) as a hobby for years.

Additionally, my academic background is in science, specifically physics, so I might be able to add some additional authenticity to the role. I could also double as the science officer, if you want to have one.

(Brit and Dereliction, check your PMs )

Ok chaps and chapettes, just putting up my brief character bio for you to peruse. Hopefully this will get the ball rolling.

Just to note the character bios don't have to follow this template, whatever works for you is good for me.

Name: Chester K. Matthews

Age: 39

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Description:

Chester is of around average height and moderately built, his brown hair hangs in short messy locks atop his head. His eyes are a darker shade of green and have a placid, calm look bout them that mirrors his personality. He usually sticks to company-standard jumpsuits, which are olive green in colour and emblazed with both the company and ship emblems, one on either shoulder. When he’s feeling more relaxed he usually lounges about the ship in khakis and vests under darkly hued shirts. His features are soft and even the way he walks exudes a calmness which is at odds with his past.

History:

Chester rarely speaks about his past and it is largely unimportant as so little of it effects his job as Captain on a civilian ship. Chester spent the first ten years of his adult life as a marine with the Terran Navy though has never spoken at length about it. All his crew mates know is that he had a career in the military at some point in his past. Though little of his past comes to the surface deep down it troubles him and he enjoys the relative solitude and long hours of cryosleep involved in being a deep-space hauler.

---

Anyway, regardless I'm still open to another chick, assuming Dereliction plays a guy which I'd prefer him to if he's more comfortable writing as a guy.

(I checked...thank you )

Name: Charlotte 'Charlie' Gibbs

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Description:

Charlie is dark haired and dark eyed with slightly olive toned skin. She takes great pride in her mane of lightly curling, almost black, hair which hangs all the way down her back when loose, although she keeps tightly pinned up in a tidy bun whenever out of her quarters. She tries to keep her natural, and more than generous, curves out of sight beneath the company jumpsuits, after all she's there to work, not to land herself a bedmate.

History:

Charlie graduated from the academy only a few months before and this was her first internship.
A cargo ship.
Underwhelmed just about covers her reaction to her posting. But she wants to make the best of what she sees as being a bad situation. She could have had a high paid, low effort job, in the company headquarters if she'd followed her father's wishes but Charlie wasn't a fan of handouts. If she's going to make something of herself, she will do it on her own!

She wants to learn all she can from absolutely everyone available to teach her and she supposes her almost constant questioning might be a little annoying to some...but that's what interns did, didn't they?

Her pride usually stops her from accepting help in certain situations, she might be young but she feels she can do whatever else anyone else does...be it lifting cargo or shifting equipment.
She is, however, totally unaware that the crew know damn well who she is, her father (the company's owner) having made sure they know she is to be 'taken care of'...


Hope that's ok...

Just saw this, and I am be very interested. I am a huge SF nerd (as the icon shows) and I have no problem with minimal sex and detailed posts.

Incidentally, just finished reading 2010...with a computer named SAL 3000, pehaps you need an technician named Chandra? Heh...

Anyway, I await (hopeful) approval...

magbeam said:

Incidentally, just finished reading 2010...with a computer named SAL 3000, pehaps you need an technician named Chandra? Heh...

Click to expand...

*grin*

Ok, Maius. Please see my PM response. Meanwhile, I'll subscribe to this thread and as soon as you give me the green light I'll make out my character.

Britwitch said:

Hope that's ok...

Click to expand...

Looks great to me dear

magbeam said:

Just saw this, and I am be very interested. I am a huge SF nerd (as the icon shows) and I have no problem with minimal sex and detailed posts.

Incidentally, just finished reading 2010...with a computer named SAL 3000, pehaps you need an technician named Chandra? Heh...

Anyway, I await (hopeful) approval...

Click to expand...

Sounds good to me! Love to have you on board, maybe you could be the technician and Thanatos can be the engineer. One of you deals more with Sal and the software and the other the hardware.

The more sci-fi homages we can cram into the story the better

MaiusImperium said:

Sounds good to me! Love to have you on board, maybe you could be the technician and Thanatos can be the engineer. One of you deals more with Sal and the software and the other the hardware.

Click to expand...

Me being the technician and Thanatos the engineer is fine with me if Thanatos is fine with it. I'll work on a bio to post here tomorrow.

MaiusImperium said:

The more sci-fi homages we can cram into the story the better

Click to expand...

Good to know, and believe me, I will be certain to do so I can't believe I didn't see the Alien references until now.

EDIT: I had some time on my hands, tell me if this is all right.

Name: Hari Shaeffer-Long
Age: 35
Race: Human (cyborg)

Description: His scalp is depilated bald with the computer plugin at the base of his neck, although he has a short-trimmed asymmetrical brown beard. He is tall and lanky, somewhat awkward in movement, with grey eyes. His eyes and skin color hint at a vague Asian influence in his otherwise Caucasian background.

He is friendly, if somewhat withdrawn, and truth be told, prefers computers to people. They're much more rational. He is not a virgin, but has also never had an actual romantic relationship...and that one brief coupling was back in his college days.

History: Hari is a native of Sevateem, a small colony world. Hari was given a Corporate grant to study at the University of Santanni, overlooking the molecular computer farms of Wolf 359. After graduation, he was automatically accepted for the Company factory there, even getting the MMI (mind-machine interface) installed for free. He was a (very minor) member of the team that designed the third-generation neural net processor that was integrated into the Terran ships during the Tauran conflict, and was briefly assigned as a Naval observer under Colonel Santiago during the Qax occupation before the peace treaty was signed.

Following the end of hostilities, Hari requested transfer to the Corporate merchant fleet, an effective demotion and pay reduction; however, his wartime service had made the lab feel stifling, and he longed to do something more. Unfortunately, civilian ore haulers are different than Naval cruisers engaging in the final campaign against an enemy fortress-world, but Hari has formed a strong bond with the SAL-3000 unit, even the biological crewmembers are nice, and money is no object to him, so he figures he'll stay on the Matheson for the time being.