Once More, With Feeling

[Prototype]

@ tiel Forgot about the part where everyone's the same distance away from everyone else and technological breakthroughs happen overnight.

Spoiler:

E: @Error yeah that's basically what I said. Or, at least, you exemplify what I said. No one gives two shits about any effort to write and then everyone complains when we actually need a decent lore. Either that or they just don't care about quality whatsoever, which is equally atrocious. Stop caring about the story and everything loses meaning; it's not like we have a system. Half of the people here have deluded themselves into thinking that this is actually a game and they're bringing down the people that do give half a shit. If we somehow form a cohesive story that doesn't have elements that seem as though they were devised by an eight-year-old with brain damage, we can use it in future projects. Right now, the little bits of game development that are happening ignore the RP section almost entirely because it's plain unusable. If someone doesn't want to put in an effort to write lore, they should at least try to read it. If you want numbers that make sense, you have to enforce backstories and development that make sense.

2/10, you missed out the clusterfuck of ARKs.

[Error]

@Mercury while a few of us - you and Fen most prominently - do make an effort, and it looks like it got ignored.

@Tiel a thought - we have everyone submit a fairly detailed report on their RP faction. A report that does *not* include and mentions of anything not specifically and directly about that faction. Thus, we have lore material, and can balance them individually, then against each other.

And if your ships get altered from 'gleaming techno-miracle' to 'grungy techno-above average', well...

Spoiler:

BACK TO THE STORY AT HAND-

Commander Surel stared throughtfully at the Alliance ship on his display, considering. Around him, the carrier operated, in the organized chaos only found on a military ship. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to his comms officer.

'Get me a link to Scorpia.'

'Aye, sir. Handshake... hyperpulse link established.'

Depressing the button on his armrest, Mathias cleared his throat. 'Scorpia, Scorpia, charlie-victor-november zero one. Request communication routing to CCV By Other Means.'

'Standby. Routing. You're through.'

'Hades, By Other Means. Go ahead with message, over.'

'Other Means, Hades, inform Surel Council of Case Rainfall. Direct any queries to me. Link remains open.'

'Hades, Other Means. Council pre-empted you; stand by for datapacket.'

Mathias skimmed the short message, a grin forming on his face. Chuckling, he pressed the button again; 'Other Means, Hades. Confirm receipt of message. Charlie-victor-november zero one out.'

He paused a moment, staring at the sensor display.

'Comms, send following to the Alliance vessel. Message begins. CSV Hades to Alliance ship. We have an offer for you.'
- - -

[Professor Fenway]

The problem is that while some of us view these as stories (Me and mercury, for example), most of us see this as a game. Not a story, a game. And that's where the clashes happen.


______________________________________________________________________
The timer reached 00:00 and began flashing red. Captain Natalie looked at it briefly- the light briefly illuminated her scarred and damaged face. "What's our status?" she yelled over the alarms. Outside, the stars were obscured as the new fleet jumped in.

"Our jump drive's not charged!" yelled an officer. "We can't jump!" Natalie plucked up the fleet intercom.

"Barrage!" The ships began pulling back as one of the cruisers opened up multiple large hatches on the sides- over 20 in all. The nearest Butik ships began concentrating fire on it. After a few seconds, the missiles launched. They were slung out at very high speeds by the launch systems and began tracking towards the Butik fleet. The sheer number of launched missiles blocked out the stars. Half of them were nuclear; the rest were conventional.

Many of them were shot down en-route as the Butik ships fired flak and lasers. But many of them got through. The fleet was lit up by multiple nuclear blasts as the 8 remaining NR ships drew back.

[Iv121]

Well if you ask me in your case its just neither .

[cannonfodder]

It absorbs the weaknesses of both in its execution, yes.

The format is fundamentally incompatible with anything possessing depth.

[Error]

Pardon us for not meeting your high standards, your exalted majesty.

[cannonfodder]

I'm not attempting to enforce a standard. What I'm saying is you can't have a gamey RP with depth. It gets in the way, it clutters. No one wants to try to meet a standard when they can pretend hurl ships at each other. The format is adapted to the audience it services, but is incompatible with anything more than slight attention to detail. There simply isn't a reward or justification to do so.

Not a bad thing as that's what the majority wants, but one of several reasons the current universe doesn't really stack up to even the most threadbare contemporary sci fi fiction despite years of collusion.

[Professor Fenway]

I see your point Tiel, and I agree with you. Story rp's die because all the gamey people leave, while game RP's fail because story people leave. It's a vicious cycle.

[Archduke Daynel, PhD]

Today's news brought to you by your beloved leaders, TechTron Industries. TechTron Industries: Bringing you the future, yesterday
-------------------
Rebel attacks in colony systems have increased greatly, despite the government's effort to stop the uprising. These rebels and their families have been classified as a threat to life as we know it, and if anyone you know might be a rebel, do not give them any support or supplies and contact your local authorities immediately.
According to some sources, new groups of rebels are showing up even in central worlds such as Technoma, and are causing----
*static*
------------------
"This is Lance Antonov of the rebellion. Do not believe the news. The government has lied to us and kept us down long enough. If you wish to join, listen to our radio station. The frequency is one-zero-three point-----"
*static*

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by and enjoy the following commercials.

[Ivan2006]

The Macaian Empire is sending humanitarian aid to regions affected by the TechTron uprising. Controversially, these aid convois are heavily guarded.
[meta]Deliveries for rebel-controlled areas involve weapons and ammunition.[/meta]

The surpreme court has struck down the mining monopoly previously granted to Hexalan. This is because Macaian law states that monopolies can only be given to Macaian companies.
However, as the Empire has also just opened its borders for human immigration, an option would be for Hexalan to move the subdivision responsible for the mining in Macaian space into the ME.

[Error]

<meta> Commonwealth research teams on Scorpia Yards have come up with a first-draft design for a jump drive. Several more teams have been assigned, and the required materials are being gathered. </meta>

- - -
With a blue-white trail behind it, the newest ship in the Star Navy tore free of Interspace over their target world.

'Transit confirmed. No sensor contacts. Approaching launch window.' the ship's tac-officer intoned.

The atmosphere in the CIC was tense; nobody spoke unless necessary. The commander glared at the overhead RADAR displays, apparently willing them to remain empty.

'RADAR contact! Two-seven-zero relative, one-one-five inclination. Inbound.' The tac-officer reported, directing more sensors to the target.

'Have they seen us?'

'No. Active sensors cut out when we detected their entry flare.'

The XO frowned. 'Only problem. They will certainly see us if we launch the probes.'

His cmmander nodded. 'Standby FTL. Course to the homeworld; launch the probes just before entry.'

-

The prowler flipped, running her engines to full power as she reversed her course out. This was not lost on the newcomer, who tracked the ship until it was lost into Interspace.

Moving forwards, it entered a low orbit over the jungle world; joined shortly thereafter by several friends, the ships began their assessment of the planet below.

[Vinyl]

Vestine Ore Collection Services, the heart of Hexalan's mining industry, has relocated its headquarters to the ME.

[cats]

With all the skipping 'round the galaxy that's done, this RP should be set a few centuries beyond what it is now. I suggested a galaxy map (p)ages ago. Within a few months, my faction (which is supposed to be relatively secluded) was discovered by, what, three different nations? Four? I could understand multiple human factions, but a nation that has a total of one system to its name?\

==========================

Batii Alliance/Commonwealth rendezvous point

A translator, seated in one of the comm positions, relayed the message to the bridge crew.

The commanding officer, a Shihe admiral and diplomat, ordered the linguist to send an off-the-record confirmation, "What kind of offer?"

==========================
==========================

NR/Butik skirmish

A growling roar of high-impulse cannon fire reverberated around the cabin as Muraun's point-defense weapons targeted the missiles.

"Fleet order: Aurora full power," Nukai Edrenthanis shouted over the din. "Runners, jump out; others, disperse."

The communications officer quietly issued the orders to the rest of the Guardian fleet.

"Bridge, status on main cannon?!" She shouted again.

"Ready to fire." The weapons officer screamed.

"On my mark." Edrenthanis raised her hand as several of the Guardian fleet blockade runners disappeared in flashes of blue. One of the other fleet's ships, which had retreated to a position nearby the assault carrier, bent, its obsolete armor twisting and failing where a dozen lances of smoke terminated on its hull. A larger projectile that had fallen behind the others impacted the dying hulk. A bud of light bloomed within, disintegrating what little of the structure remained intact. The fireball's edge raced toward Muraun and curved around the lip of the carrier's Aurora field. Other fireballs flashed into existence farther within the combat sphere.

Flashover arced between extended panels as Muraun broke through. The instant sensors came online, Edrenthanis lowered her hand. The ship shuddered as it fired its main gun, causing a five kilometer streak of ionized metal vapor to leap from the nose of the ship behind a uranium-cored slug.

==========================

To clarify: the Guardian fleet was the one present at the first NR contact with the addition of several other ships. Aurora shields are upgraded EM field generators. Runners have multiple FTL capacitor banks that allow multiple merges in a small time and, usually, more powerful sublight drives.

[Error]

Mathias smiled. 'My people would like to offer our assistance in your fight against the.. Butik, was it? We can offer this carrier and her attached strike wings. Be aware, however; this offer comes from Clan Surel, not from the Commonwealth as a whole.'

- - -
'They what.'

'Corporate corvettes and frigates have engaged and damaged a civilian freighter; says here Cyran system. They're waffling that they want their independence from the Commonwealth... and all habitable planets in both Cyran and Elysium.'

Prime Minister William Korriman came very close to smacking his head on his desk.

'Response?' the aide asked.

'Prep both battlecarriers for an engagement. Transfer over Hades' strike wing if you need to. Retake Elysium first, we need the mining stations; after that, strategic is up to Commander Lorne.'

The aide nodded and hurried out.

- - -
Both Commonwealth battlecarriers - Pegasus and Ten Rounds Rapid - are being dispatched, at combat alert, to the Elysium system for reasons unknown.

[Professor Fenway]

The jump drive charged and the ship entered jump- just as the streak reached the fleet. Natalie caught a glimpse of Barrage being sliced apart by it before everything vanished and was replaced by a new system, a new star layout. "Report!" she yelled at the ship.

"We lost 5 ships. Barrage was destroyed instantly by a weapon of unknown power. Iridium and Undying report heavy damage and casualties." The officer flicked through further screens as reports came in, some beeping. "At least 6 enemy ships were destroyed before the nuclear strike. Enemy status after the strike is unknown; our sensors were blinded. Their flagship, however, survived the assault. At no point did its shields collapse."

"They must have upgraded their shielding systems." She paused for a second. "The destroyed ships--are their self-destruct mechanisms intact?"

"I don't know. Combat damage could easily have wiped them out."

"Lets hope they are. Get us back to command and upload the sensor data."
_______________________________________________________________
IIRC, the time-frame is highly variable. I'm relatively certain it's been at least 3 years in RP timeframe despite the 2 week/page limit. As it stands its been less than a year.