Bolivar (Sci-Fi storybook; accepting)

Background: In the year 7196, the Milky Way galaxy is rebuilding itself after a devastating inter-species technological war. Only a few planets remain in any way habitable. Hundreds of billions of people must be loaded onto what spacecrafts are left to find more planets where they can live, possibly even travelling beyond the confines of the galaxy—assuming they make it that far. After all, space is dangerous...

Setting: Gaia (formerly Earth) has built Bolivar, the first spacecraft to be constructed since the war. Like all the other crafts, its first assignment is to carry civilians to whatever colonisable planet they can find that has escaped the mass destruction. The civilians are to be placed in cryopreservative comas; it could be a long time before they reach their new homes. The crew consists of trained men and women, as well as some highly promising teenagers, who are being prepared to take over craft positions if/when the crew grows too old. Crew and civilians are from four different bipedal species: Loriq, Human, Krastor, and Bandry.

Loriq

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One form: mammalian, but very sensitive to cold. Practically hairless (no eyebrows), except the hair on their heads which can be black, orange, or red. Large eyes with red pupils. Most often their skin is brown, but occasionally a female will be fair. Origins are Loir, a brown giant system. Tend to be highly carnivorous, with pointed teeth. Good vision, agility, and hearing. Not a lot of strength or adaptability. Intelligent, but bad at book-learning. Viewed as the main victims in the recent war; hate aKlastor. Names tend to be soft and hissy.

Human(s)

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One form: mammalian. Sparse hair over entire body; thicker on their heads, and on the males’ faces. Their skin is anywhere from practically white, to pink, to brown, to practically black. They come from the Gaian yellow dwarf system; their origins were on Gaia itself, but many live on Gaia’s moon, and some on Mars. Humans have a natural endoskeleton and an excellent regenerative and immune system, all of which makes for good defence. Fairly intelligent. Have a tendency toward self-centeredness. Adaptable to varying environments. (Basically, humans.) Joined the war to help the Loriq fight the aKlastor. Names are eclectic, from all over the galaxy.

(a)Klastor

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Shape-shifters. Native state a shapeless grey mass about one metre tall. Can only shift into things of their approximate mass, and have a hard time with little details like blinking and breathing. Origins unknown—a nomadic species. Extremely adaptable. Cunning rather than intelligent; have an amplified sense of self-preservation. Vision poor, hearing decent. They are agile, with low defence and high strength. A large group of Klastor terrorists sparked the recent interplanetary war by attacking Loir. Made Bandree a base and would hide on it by mimicking trees and rocks. Viewed with distrust by most Humans and Loriq. Names tend to be very short, four or five letters at the longest; no last names.

Bandry(t)

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One form: amphibian. Smooth pale skin. Absolutely hairless, but the many thin, sensitive antennae on their heads can appear to be hair. These are usually white. Their eyes are entirely one colour, without irises or pupils. Origins: Bandree, a rogue planet, though many live elsewhere. Sensitive to light, they see well in the darkness and have exceptional hearing. Can live underwater or in air, often sleeping in a water tank at night, but prefer both to be cold and have difficulty focussing when it’s too hot. Slow, but hard to hit or catch. Possibly the most intelligent race. View other beings with detached scientific interest that can be frightening. Did not fight in the war, but when aKlastor invaded Bandree, the Humans evacuated and destroyed it. First names tend to be common nouns, which, thanks to the UT, translate into English common nouns. Last names are very sharp, with Ks and Ts.

Ranks

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Colonel: In charge of the entire craft. There’s only one.

Major: In charge of and works in a specific section, like engineering or security.

Doctor: Works in medical. Can actually have another rank, but is called Doctor.

Lieutenant: Works in a specific section.

Ensign: In training for a specific section. (older teens)

Cadet: In general training. (younger teens)

Civilian: Ought to be in a coma. But it might be nice to have some rebels!

Profile

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Name:

Gender:

Species:

Age (teens 13-19, crew 25-50, civilians any age):

Bolivar Position (Command, engineer/operations, security, medical/science, civilian. If a teenager, put “Teen” and the position you’re being trained for):

Rank:

Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Other:

Rules

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Romance but no explicit sex
Inter-species romance is fine---aKlastor do have males and females
Max two characters per person
No swearing
First person to profile the Colonel, chief engineer, chief medical officer, etc., gets it

In comparison to the cryopreservative chambers, the operations portion of the ship is relatively small, so all the sections will probably interact. I'll be willing to start when we have a Colonel, at least one person in each section, and a handful of teens or maybe civilians.

Questions

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@SidereaAquila: Technology- Yes, A.I., but not very common or sophisticated. Think...Data.

Other: at least light-speed travel; cryopreservation; cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS, et. al; highly advanced holographic technology; possible time travel; UT; badges that allow for instant interplan access (the internet, but sparklier); possibly cybernetic implantation and genetic engineering but that might get creepy so go easy.

@mortimermcmirestinks: Uniforms-Fairly basic. Different coloured bodysuits for different professions; gold markers for different ranks. Six for Commodore (we have none) five for Colonel, four for major, etc. Doctors have their rank and a gold cross. Medical/science bodysuit is white, engineering/operations is yellow, security is blue, command is red.

....

Name: Cabinet Kligitikk

Gender: Male

Species: Bandry

Age: 42

Bolivar Position: Engineer

Rank: Lieutenant

Appearance:Has a condition which makes his antennae shorter and stiffer than normal (less like hair and more like bristles), and makes him stockier and burlier than other Bandryt, but not clumsy. Reflective eyes, showing a mirror image of whatever he looks at. Round nose.

Personality: He's kind of introverted: doesn't like people nearly as much as he likes experimenting with engineering stuff; he's very interested in technology. When you get to know him, he isn't as bad, but he's still not exactly friendly. He has a good sense of humor but pretty much never shows it.

History: Born on Bandree, where he lived with his parents and brother Satchel until it was destroyed by the Humans. He then moved to an outpost in the north of Gaia. Not very many people really know him very well, except his brother and best friend Major Dr. Satchel Kligitikk. Lt. Kligitikk's parents died a few days apart from a disease called Carcarc, which is fatal but not painful.

Other: He hates aKlastor food, although he likes Loriq food. He also plays the Kiritikin, which is a small wooden wind instrument. Lt. Kligitikk always carries around his satchel filled with tools for engineering.

Picture:

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Also, for the sake of clarifying, what does the uniform look like? Answered

Name: Addy Barlow

Gender: Female

Species: Human

Age: 30

Bolivar Position: Science (primarily physics and astronomy)

Rank: Lieutenant

Appearance: Addy is short and trim, with pale skin. Her hair is light brown and falls to her shoulders, but she usually keeps it in a ponytail. She has dark gray eyes, and a few freckles on her cheeks. She typically rolls her sleeves up, and usually has burns, ash, chemical stains, or other pieces of experiment on her uniform.

Personality: Addy is enthusiastic and outgoing. She'll talk to almost anyone, and she finds it very easy to make friends. She's confident and collected, almost never panics, and is good at reading people. Despite her methodical science background, she can be quite emotional, and will sometimes be very blunt with people. She's stubborn a little hot-headed, and she won't back down from a fight. She likes music, and she's a decent singer. She can be quite scatterbrained sometimes, and can often be found in the lab, playing with unneeded equipment.

History: Addy grew up in an astronomical community on the far side of Gaia's moon. Both her parents were astronomers, so she got a very early start in the world of space science. Her many successful research projects allowed her to get a government job at an early age, which eventually led to space travel. She had always wanted to see the galaxy, so when she was offered a position on an exploration ship, she took it right away. The war started shortly afterward. Because scientists willing to travel so soon after the conflict were in short supply, she was transferred to the Bolivar, where she could do her experiments in peace.

Other: Addy lived on Gaia's moon for her entire childhood, so she's very competent in microgravity environments.

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Question--how advanced is the technology? AI level?

Name: Ring Tyttal'que

Gender: Female

Species: Bandry

Age: 35

Bolivar Position: Medical/Science

Rank: Major/Doctor

Appearance: Ring's eyes are like opals, a milky white with flecks of blues, greens, and reds, depending on how light hits her eyes. Her skin is a pale aquamarine, and her nose consists of two slits in her face. Her cheekbones are high. She's tall and willowy. Her fingers and toes are strangely long and bony. About halfway up each digit, webbing connects them. She has a scar that looks like it was a burn at one time on all of her left arm.

Personality: Ring is nervous. She jumps at loud noises and doesn't like it when too many people are looking at her or being around her. She terribly claustrophobic and can't stand to be touched. She doesn't have a problem touching others, however. She's naturally inquisitive, but unlike some of her species, she's concerned with her subject's (in this case patient's) comfort. She's very awkward and not very good at making conversation or eye contact for that matter. Despite her subpar social skills, Ring hates being alone. Her greatest fear is to be alone for life. She has a slight stutter. She's has a great fear of flames and heat in general.

History: Ring was born on Bandree. She lived with her fairly mid-class family until her parents were both killed by a mysterious virus. She was taken by government officials and tested on until the evacuation and destruction of Bandree. Somewhere during her stint as an unwilling test subject she was caught in a laboratory fire and barely got out alive. A kindhearted scientist took it upon herself to teach Ring something, so Ring was taught medicine. She escaped during the evacuation and has used her medical knowledge to thrive in any place that would offer her a job.

Other:

~~~

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(Tell me if I get something wrong here. I'm not quite positive I told described him {If they have gender} correctly.)

Name: Zarin

Gender: Male

Species: Klastor

Age: 17

Bolivar Position: Teen; Security

Rank: Ensign

Appearance: Zarin likes being in his natural form the best, but if he has to be in a solid form, he takes that of a boy. He has a shock of red hair and bright blue, almost unnatural, eyes. Sometimes, if he has to shift in a hurry, his left eye is green. He's tall for his age and strangely thin. He doesn't do well with the details of his forms. His lips, fingers, and toes are either blurry or malformed.

Personality: Zarin is edgy and sly. He doesn't mind getting in trouble if he can get what he wants. He doesn't appreciate authority, however, and often goes against an order for the pure fun of it. He likes to give off a tough persona but is still a child. If you can wear down to the inner Zarin, you get a fiercely loyal, easily hurt child who's built up a shell to protect himself. He enjoys playing practical jokes. Sometimes they're really mean.

History: Zarin was of a high class Klastor family on Gaia until his family was slaughtered. He was almost killed as well but barely managed to escape. Half-delirious with his wounds and fear, he stumbled upon a Human home. Despite, the hostilities between the two races, the elderly couple took him in and nursed him back to health, hiding him from blood thirsty soldiers. Until the war ended, he lived peacefully with them. They have sent him off on the spacecraft, reassuring him that it would be best for him to go help the universe... He's not so sure.

Other: He is prone to eye twitches because of his shifting.

Name: Btheir Zhishath

Gender: Female

Species: Loriq

Age: 39

Bolivar Position: Command (First Officer)

Rank: Major

Appearance: Btheir has bright red hair, chin-length. Her skin is dark brown. She has light golden brown eyes and a firm, no-nonsense mouth. She's flat-chested, strong, and athletic; about six feet tall.

Personality: She tends to be cynical and aggressive. Doesn't think much of people, but respects honesty, compassion, intelligence and strength. Brilliant strategist and pragmatic psychologist. Often impolite because she's brutally straightforward, but has a strong sense of justice and right. Dislikes 'aliens' and passionately hates aKlastor.

History: Btheir grew up on the streets of Alos, the sixth planet in the Loir system. Even before the war, it was barely habitable, poor, and filled with renegades and criminals. She fought her way out by signing up for Basic Spacecraft Training at fifteen and then joining the Loriq Space Force as a non-com. Within six years she was promoted to an officer, and became a Colonel when she was thirty five, but during the war she disobeyed a direct order from a superior and was demoted back to Major.

Other: Has never been in a romantic relationship or even thought about it much.

Okay, I'm kind of new at this. About how long does it generally take for there to be enough people to start?