The Intrepid: Episode 1 (Pilot) The Walls Have Eyes!

[Silverthunder]

(ooc: first one's always a bit long! Don't worry about trying to match either. If you don't know your exact job, just act naturally) @Mambi @Firuthi Dragovic @Marius Merganser @Universe

The stuffy interior was only temporary. The rickety transport shuttle was lined on either side with windows for passengers, giving everyone an optimal view of the small convoy as it ascended from the planet. A bumpy ride, to be sure, but these weren't the official compliment of shuttles from the Intrepid, only local ones.

People leaned over and turned to the right bank of windows, hoping to glance the ship in person.

And there it was.

The Intrepid, a massive capitol ship loitering just above in the vacuum of space, super imposed on the background of two small green moons. It was by no means the largest ship ever built, but it was by far the largest international research vessel, built by the combined cooperation of almost all nation states across the galaxy. That alone was probably a far greater feat than its size, add on the most advanced technology, research centers, and facilities the galaxy had ever... publicly... known, and it was a marvel hidden in an altruistic package.

It was a small city, designed with one singular purpose. To venture forth, outside of its home galaxy, and return to tell the tale. To pass through terrain so inhospitable, so unimaginably vast, that not even magic nor interdimensional travel could appropriately do the deed.

It had a very... blue aesthetic.

The shuttles began their approach towards the bow of the ship. Placed between the city superstructure and the raised upper bow section, were three large hanger bays. The shuttles followed their particularly assigned paths, until they came to a rough landing.

The passengers, all excited, began to rise with their duffle bags and backpacks in hand, jockeying to be the first off the shuttle and into their new home.

"This is crazy right?" someone whispered excitedly.

Another just shrugged, "it's not that big a deal, honestly."

"You know," a third spoke up from the rear of the shuttle, "we might never come back."

There were some nervous chuckles, and some excited hooting, as the future crew of the Intrepid disembarked, and stepped out into the hanger bay.

The bay was awash with activity, engineers working hard on putting together recently acquired craft, loaders hauling crates to and fro, and hundreds of folks pouring out of the shuttle convoy.

"Any engineers in here, fall in with me!" A human from the Ascendancy in an orange and black jumpsuit shouted up ahead, "Everyone else speak with my friend here and he'll tell you where you need to go!"

Standing beside the human was a tall gangly synthetic creature, skin like a white rough wetsuit, no eyes, but with two horn like protrusions at the back of its head. It looked like more a mockery of a dragon than anything else. A creation of the Consortium no doubt.

"Please do not doddle, there are many of you and few of me," the synthetic stated, taking a clipboard from a tall rabbit who approached him from behind. "If you do not know where you belong, please speak with me."

There were others of course, but they were just the closest crew members beckoning others to them.

"Don't worry, I think most of these folks are engineers anyways," the human assured him.

 

[Universe]

(ooc: first one's always a bit long! Don't worry about trying to match either. If you don't know your exact job, just act naturally) @Mambi @Firuthi Dragovic @Marius Merganser @Universe

The stuffy interior was only temporary. The rickety transport shuttle was lined on either side with windows for passengers, giving everyone an optimal view of the small convoy as it ascended from the planet. A bumpy ride, to be sure, but these weren't the official compliment of shuttles from the Intrepid, only local ones.

People leaned over and turned to the right bank of windows, hoping to glance the ship in person.

And there it was.

The Intrepid, a massive capitol ship loitering just above in the vacuum of space, super imposed on the background of two small green moons. It was by no means the largest ship ever built, but it was by far the largest international research vessel, built by the combined cooperation of almost all nation states across the galaxy. That alone was probably a far greater feat than its size, add on the most advanced technology, research centers, and facilities the galaxy had ever... publicly... known, and it was a marvel hidden in an altruistic package.

It was a small city, designed with one singular purpose. To venture forth, outside of its home galaxy, and return to tell the tale. To pass through terrain so inhospitable, so unimaginably vast, that not even magic nor interdimensional travel could appropriately do the deed.

It had a very... blue aesthetic.

The shuttles began their approach towards the bow of the ship. Placed between the city superstructure and the raised upper bow section, were three large hanger bays. The shuttles followed their particularly assigned paths, until they came to a rough landing.

The passengers, all excited, began to rise with their duffle bags and backpacks in hand, jockeying to be the first off the shuttle and into their new home.

"This is crazy right?" someone whispered excitedly.

Another just shrugged, "it's not that big a deal, honestly."

"You know," a third spoke up from the rear of the shuttle, "we might never come back."

There were some nervous chuckles, and some excited hooting, as the future crew of the Intrepid disembarked, and stepped out into the hanger bay.

The bay was awash with activity, engineers working hard on putting together recently acquired craft, loaders hauling crates to and fro, and hundreds of folks pouring out of the shuttle convoy.

"Any engineers in here, fall in with me!" A human from the Ascendancy in an orange and black jumpsuit shouted up ahead, "Everyone else speak with my friend here and he'll tell you where you need to go!"

Standing beside the human was a tall gangly synthetic creature, skin like a white rough wetsuit, no eyes, but with two horn like protrusions at the back of its head. It looked like more a mockery of a dragon than anything else. A creation of the Consortium no doubt.

"Please do not doddle, there are many of you and few of me," the synthetic stated, taking a clipboard from a tall rabbit who approached him from behind. "If you do not know where you belong, please speak with me."

There were others of course, but they were just the closest crew members beckoning others to them.

"Don't worry, I think most of these folks are engineers anyways," the human assured him.

*I stepped forwards part of the celestial dragon military*

 

[Universe]

“Okay you can do this”

 

[Universe]

“Where am I needed?”

 

[Universe]

“I’m Universe Celestial”

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

A grey and brown furred Frean, a bipedal species with a strong resemblance of an Earth wolf, steps nervously up to the human who called for engineers. He straightens his uniform, on which his name tag reads Heep Kapuro. He's young, likely a new graduate on his first job, and hs some simple cyan markings dyed into his fur, something deemed necessary by his culture.
He snaps to attention.
"Engineer Kapuro, reporting."

 

[Universe]

“where do I go I signed up for security?”

 

[Universe]

*I asked trying not to read his mind*

 

[Universe]

“Sorry it’s a celestial dragon telepathy thing”

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

The goose was anxious. Here he was, having successfully applied and gotten through the tests to be a junior engineer... and yet the very idea that he'd be a part of history on such a massive vessel was extremely difficult to believe.

He adjusted his jacket and picked up his bags in his four hands as the shuttle landed. The Rukbatian - a species of four-armed (four-winged?) waterfowl, in this case similar to a Canada goose - was a bit patient, letting some of the others disembark before he did.

Among the beings disembarking from the ship he noticed a few ducks and their attire, noticeably their lack of decent leggings. He looked down at the jumpsuit under his jacket. He hoped the ducks weren't trying to go as engineers. It didn't matter if waterfowl culture across the galaxy considered pants unnecessary - machine lubricants and waterproof feathers didn't mix, he'd had run-ins with that very issue multiple times.

As he approached the human in the orange and black jumpsuit, he saw a few strange shadows on some of the new ship crew... including the muscly dragon mentioning security.

<<Strange... I'm getting self-hypnotic defects in this rig again.>> the goose thought.

He approached the human at last.

"Junior Engineer Dorian Branta, reporting."

((Greater than/less than signs will represent inner thoughts. If he ever gets actual telepathy in a later episode, I may use different symbols for that.))

((And yes, the specific thing about waterfowl and pants is in reference to things Marius has mentioned elsewhere.))

 

[Universe]

“I’m supposed be here for security”

 

[Silverthunder]

“I’m supposed be here for security”

"Commander Universe," the synthetic creature confirmed, looking up from his digital display, "Lieutenant Black Fang is waiting in hanger eighteen to help you settle in."

He gestured behind him to one of the dozens of bays lining the hanger with various ships birthed within. A tall burly crocodilid with a bright red main running from between his eyes to the tip of his tail spotted Universe, and waved to him, starting to make his way over to the dragon.

The security officer was adorned in a bright white and light blue suit with padded armor and quite a few pockets, along with a belt sporting a sturdy looking sidearm. He carried a vicious medieval styled spacer helmet under his arms.

"Commander," the croc bowed to Universe, speaking in a memorable soft yet deep voice, "You must be Universe, correct?"

 

[Silverthunder]

A grey and brown furred Frean, a bipedal species with a strong resemblance of an Earth wolf, steps nervously up to the human who called for engineers. He straightens his uniform, on which his name tag reads Heep Kapuro. He's young, likely a new graduate on his first job, and wears a thin sword at his side and has some simple cyan markings dyed into his fur, both things deemed necessary by his culture.
He snaps to attention.
"Engineer Kapuro, reporting."

The goose was anxious. Here he was, having successfully applied and gotten through the tests to be a junior engineer... and yet the very idea that he'd be a part of history on such a massive vessel was extremely difficult to believe.

He adjusted his jacket and picked up his bags in his four hands as the shuttle landed. The Rukbatian - a species of four-armed (four-winged?) waterfowl, in this case similar to a Canada goose - was a bit patient, letting some of the others disembark before he did.

Among the beings disembarking from the ship he noticed a few ducks and their attire, noticeably their lack of decent leggings. He looked down at the jumpsuit under his jacket. He hoped the ducks weren't trying to go as engineers. It didn't matter if waterfowl culture across the galaxy considered pants unnecessary - machine lubricants and waterproof feathers didn't mix, he'd had run-ins with that very issue multiple times.

As he approached the human in the orange and black jumpsuit, he saw a few strange shadows on some of the new ship crew... including the muscly dragon mentioning security.

<<Strange... I'm getting self-hypnotic defects in this rig again.>> the goose thought.

He approached the human at last.

"Junior Engineer Dorian Branta, reporting."

((Greater than/less than signs will represent inner thoughts. If he ever gets actual telepathy in a later episode, I may use different symbols for that.))

((And yes, the specific thing about waterfowl and pants is in reference to things Marius has mentioned elsewhere.))

He nodded to the avian and the wolf, crossing his arms as more engineers gathered behind them and around the human. It was quite the hodgepodge of folks, in all manner of clothing, from garish civilian attire to crisp military fatigues, provided by their respective consulates to give off the best impression of their homeland of course.

"Interesting makeup..." he lamented.

He began rattling off names with a gruff voice, pointing them to the different hanger bays where the engineers were forming up with their future teams. After a short while, the hanger buzzing with talk and excited voices, Kapuro, Dorian, and about forty others remained around the human.

He lowered his clipboard to see who was left. "Alright... good. The rest of you are with my team. You'll-"

The officer stared at Dorian for a moment. " You're wearing pants? I thought- neverminde-"

"Alright you lot!" he began, "I don't know where you came from, what you believe in, or what you've done in the past, but you're mine now! You serve the Intrepid in all its mechanical workings! Understood!?"

There were a few uncertain glances and the typical quiet that came with being new to something like this.

"Sound off! I run a tight shift here, is that understood!?"

"Pff... someone's on a little powertrip..." A feline next to Kapuro whispered

 

[Universe]

"Commander Universe," the synthetic creature confirmed, looking up from his digital display, "Lieutenant Black Fang is waiting in hanger eighteen to help you settle in."

He gestured behind him to one of the dozens of bays lining the hanger with various ships birthed within. A tall burly crocodilid with a bright red main running from between his eyes to the tip of his tail spotted Universe, and waved to him, starting to make his way over to the dragon.

The security officer was adorned in a bright white and light blue suit with padded armor and quite a few pockets, along with a belt sporting a sturdy looking sidearm. He carried a vicious medieval styled spacer helmet under his arms.

"Commander," the croc bowed to Universe, speaking in a memorable soft yet deep voice, "You must be Universe, correct?"

“Affirmative”

 

[Marius Merganser]

Marius dexterously weaved his way through the crowd to the human in the orange jump suit with his bag over his shoulder.
He stopped short in line with the other engineers, dropped his bag, and gave the human a quick salute, hoping he wasn't late.

His uniform was pristine. Well, the shirt was at least, since he wasn't wearing any pants, as ducks were known not to do. He nodded to the wolf and goose with a smile and awaited further instruction.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

He nodded to the avian and the wolf, crossing his arms as more engineers gathered behind them and around the human. It was quite the hodgepodge of folks, in all manner of clothing, from garish civilian attire to crisp military fatigues, provided by their respective consulates to give off the best impression of their homeland of course.

"Interesting makeup..." he lamented.

He began rattling off names with a gruff voice, pointing them to the different hanger bays where the engineers were forming up with their future teams. After a short while, the hanger buzzing with talk and excited voices, Kapuro, Dorian, and about forty others remained around the human.

He lowered his clipboard to see who was left. "Alright... good. The rest of you are with my team. You'll-"

The officer stared at Dorian for a moment. " You're wearing pants? I thought- neverminde-"

"Alright you lot!" he began, "I don't know where you came from, what you believe in, or what you've done in the past, but you're mine now! You serve the Intrepid in all its mechanical workings! Understood!?"

There were a few uncertain glances and the typical quiet that came with being new to something like this.

"Sound off! I run a tight shift here, is that understood!?"

"Pff... someone's on a little powertrip..." A feline next to Kapuro whispered

"Sir yes sir!"

Standing at attention with four wings' full of bags was not easy, but Dorian tried.

"And the pants, officer... are because I found out the hard way in my earlier years that machine lubricants are not kind to my natural waterproofing. I've had repair jobs where I have no time to fuss about such things, so protecting my feathers became the best option."

 

[Universe]

“Do you have a uniform for me?”

 

[Universe]

*I stood at attention*

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

"Pff... someone's on a little powertrip..." A feline next to Kapuro whispered

"You don't know what a power trip is until you meet the instructors at KiKiret Acadamy. I'd much rather this guy," Heep mutters back.

 

[Universe]

*I was wondering what I would wear and if it would fit*

 

[Silverthunder]

“Affirmative”

"Well met, I'm Lieutenant Black Fang, Kolal battlemaster, and your second in command," the lizard explained. "Please, with me. We have a busy schedule ahead of us. The ship's still in the process of undergoing trials, now's the time to work out any kinks. For us, that means ensuring law and order, and establishing best practices. In other words, how best to protect the crew."

He gestured for Universe to follow him as he began to walk with the dragon across the large busy bay. "Ours is a unique task, given the design of the ship. It's a primarily research vessel, meaning there are many labs and workshops working on various projects, not to mention the private labs... it's our job to verify what they're doing doesn't threaten the ship, on top of the usual law enforcement duties."

"And, don't worry, we have several uniforms and loadouts for you to examine." He assured Universe. "One in particular, curtesy of the Consortium, if you're partial to nanites."

 

[Silverthunder]

Marius dexterously weaved his way through the crowd to the human in the orange jump suit with his bag over his shoulder.
He stopped short in line with the other engineers, dropped his bag, and gave the human a quick salute, hoping he wasn't late.

His uniform was pristine. Well, the shirt was at least, since he wasn't wearing any pants, as ducks were known not to do. He nodded to the wolf and goose with a smile and awaited further instruction.

The Sr. Engineer looked up as Marius entered the crowd of mini engineers. "Hmm... you look too clean to be one of mine..."

He looked over his roster again, perhaps with crew headshots as well. "Ah, there you are. Looks like you're retail and custodial."

"Ha ha! What a kidder!" A slug rabbit appeared behind Marius and grabbed his wing to pull him aside, covered head to toe in their black and blue tight environmental suit of course, with the egg shaped pack on its back.

"Please, this way sir. Marius Merganser correct?" He asked, voice muffled by his mask.

"Sir yes sir!"

Standing at attention with four wings' full of bags was not easy, but Dorian tried.

"And the pants, officer... are because I found out the hard way in my earlier years that machine lubricants are not kind to my natural waterproofing. I've had repair jobs where I have no time to fuss about such things, so protecting my feathers became the best option."

"You don't know what a power trip is until you meet the instructors at KiKiret Acadamy. I'd much rather this guy," Heep mutters back.

"Ha, don't we all?" The Sr. Engineer chuckled at Dorian's explanation, "well, not the feather part. Good on ya sol- ah, ensign."

Dorien's sir yes sir caused the group to stand up straighter and reply in kind, though not simultaneously.

"Look, the engineers of any ship are its lifeblood. We are what not only keep this thing moving, but moving smoothly. There's no slacking off, no downtime while on the clock, and no cutting corners... every inch of this ship deserves the same focus and attention. And love. Make sure you give her all the love you got. Err- metaphorically you know, please don't make this weird." He explained, rubbing the back of his head.

"The ship is divided for us engineers into about forty section. You lot, have been chosen... for Section One... and I, Serif-perrin Torry... Spit for short, am your section commander. You weren't chosen because you're good at fixing a specific things, you were chosen for Section One because you're good at figuring out how to fix weird things." He cleared his throat.

"Alright enough monologuing. I'll show you all to our section workshop, and from their we can assign quarters." He turned and waved for the group of around forty or so to follow.

"Uh- sir, can't we drop our things of at our quarters first? My stuff is kind of heavy?" The cat beside Heep called out, but Spit simply ignored him, causing the feline to sigh and turn to Heep.

"Much rather him hu? And what exactly was your academy like? Couldn't have been that bad." The cat groused to the wolf like creature.

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

"Much rather him hu? And what exactly was your academy like? Couldn't have been that bad." The cat groused to the wolf like creature.

"It was boot camp and academy rolled into one. Extremely prestigious, but also extremely harsh, especially on someone like me from a backwater world. Get out of line? You're now dueling your instructor, and he's lightyears more skilled than you."
Heep straightens his uniform again. Seems like it's a bit of a nervous tic for him.
"I'm technically a member of the Frean Confederacy's military, same as likely every other Frean who's on this ship. We're just not under military jurisdiction anymore, being assigned here."

 

[Marius Merganser]

The Sr. Engineer looked up as Marius entered the crowd of mini engineers. "Hmm... you look too clean to be one of mine..."

"Thank you, sir!"
The duck stood at attention, pleased that his maroon, double-breasted shirt with gold buttons and gold trim on the collar and sleeves made a good impression. It was his formal dress uniform and he always thought it looked pretty sharp.

He looked over his roster again, perhaps with crew headshots as well. "Ah, there you are. Looks like you're retail and custodial."

"Ha ha! What a kidder!" A slug rabbit appeared behind Marius and grabbed his wing to pull him aside, covered head to toe in their black and blue tight environmental suit of course, with the egg shaped pack on its back.

"Please, this way sir. Marius Merganser correct?" He asked, voice muffled by his mask.

"Yes, sir."
Marius grabbed his bag and practically leapt to catch up, eager to get away from the human after he mentioned 'custodial'.

"Custodial, sir? My first commission was junior engineer first class on a garbage scow, but that was years ago and I've worked my way up to serve on transports and freighters and I was a junior flight engineer on the SS Cygnus. That ship was lost, but not until long after I disembarked and I can assure you, it wasn't because of flight control failure! Uh, where are we going?"

 

[Universe]

"Well met, I'm Lieutenant Black Fang, Kolal battlemaster, and your second in command," the lizard explained. "Please, with me. We have a busy schedule ahead of us. The ship's still in the process of undergoing trials, now's the time to work out any kinks. For us, that means ensuring law and order, and establishing best practices. In other words, how best to protect the crew."

He gestured for Universe to follow him as he began to walk with the dragon across the large busy bay. "Ours is a unique task, given the design of the ship. It's a primarily research vessel, meaning there are many labs and workshops working on various projects, not to mention the private labs... it's our job to verify what they're doing doesn't threaten the ship, on top of the usual law enforcement duties."

"And, don't worry, we have several uniforms and loadouts for you to examine." He assured Universe. "One in particular, curtesy of the Consortium, if you're partial to nanites."

“Nanites now we’re talking” *I said following him across the ship*