E.S. Berkhard---1st Mission. "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...."

[proxy_explorers]

Each crewmate had woken up in a cabin assigned to them, with their name and role on the door outside. It was a pretty nice little cabin, private and with a private bathroom. Like a basic hotel room honestly, in shades of deep blue and rich brown wood and steel. Clean sheets on the bed, clean linens on the desk waiting for use, and a closet full of uniforms for their use. (Each consisting of dark blue BDU pants and jacket with rank and name, a black undershirt, and black boots. These uniforms are modified for non-humanoid wear as needed.)

A small note was on the desk, on top of the linens. "Welcome Explorer! For your first mission, you are to proceed to the Waystation's VR deck. There is a map accessible on your Omniband, which will also be used to lock and unlock your cabin. Each Omniband is individually designated. It is recommended Omnibands be worn at all times." Indeed, there is a small blue, silver, or grey band that looks like a circular smart-watch on the desk. The 'band' itself will expand to fit over any width, or can be unlocked and flipped to form an 'S' type shape with the screen, to act like a traditional phone.

Explorers can explore their ship if they want. Although they won't be able to undock or leave the Waystation. Heading out further into the Waystation, they're free to explore there as well. They will be prompted by their Omniband though, to gather in the VR Holodeck. The longer one takes to get to the VR Holodeck, the more insistent the prompts will get--starting with a beeping, that will only get worse the longer it takes. There is no way, short of hacking the Omniband, to disable this beeping. This is the first 'mission' after all!

Once there, the sliding doors will open to reveal what almost looks like any good 2010's employee conference room, although the table has been moved to the side and laid out with snacks and drinks. Stepping in will prompt a "My name is ____" badge to appear with the person's chosen name on their clothes in an appropriate place. Also on the table are various ideas for Ice-Breakers! A big banner spans the room and says "Welcome Explorers!"

It appears your first mission is for everyone to get to know each other!

OUT OF CHARACTER
This is for your chars to get to know each other, since you'll all be working as a crew. The MDSOBs have tried to make it welcoming and easy and encouraging. Below there will be a thread for some different Ice Breaker Activities. Please respond there for threads.

Comments

Ambellina Intro:

[burnedherwings]

["Prose" or [Action] accepted. Reply how you want and I will follow suit]

Waking up and finding the Omniband and note, Ambellina simply moved about the room, finding a uniform and dressing in that instead of her normal tight black suit. She was pleased to see the suit fit well enough over the odd healed up lumps on her back, where her wings had once been. the suit was at least suitable for combat.

Omniband on, she left her quarters and paused, glancing around outside the room. Herr nose wrinkled a moment, but she took off in one direction to explore. At least it's clean here, unlike the last ship he was on. She does a quick scan of the place, going here and there where she was allowed, just to get an idea of their mission stations and all that. She agreed to do this, as much a he didn't want to. She was here though, and that meant she had to know things.

Once done exploring though, she would head to where the Mission Meeting would be. A conference like room with snacks. Oh goody. She ignored all those, and stared a t the little Hello sign on her uniform now. 'My name is Ambellina' is all it said. The blond haired, blue skinned woman rolled her eyes at the name tag, but meandered in further, glancing about the room and who all was here or not.

Re: Ambellina Intro:

[hunter_marked_soul]

Nathanial was trying to not stare. Or at least not be rude in his staring. He'd seen far, far stranger than a tall woman with blue-skin. That didn't mean it was 'usual' for him though, and it was as much with wonder that he looked as he had at the ship and waystation.

Still, he had been raised with decent manners. And as much as he'd forgotten much of his old life, he remembered enough to know staring was rude. So he made his way over, with a softly accented "Pardon me," and a half-bow of greeting.

[burnedherwings]

She wasn't tucked away in a corner at lest, nor holding up a wall, but she wasn't in the center of attention. Still, she figured it wouldn't be long before someone spoke to her. SHE had to remember HER manners, really. She'd spent so much time having to search for the crowing, then dealing with Claudio when she found him, that she's almost forgotten what it's like to interact with real beings. So as the person approaches, she looks at him, taking him in. Trying to decide with how he was dressed if he had any weapons on him or not. Her mind generally always looked for all exits in a room she was in, or checked people for hidden weapons. Sher herself has left her sword behind [if she's allowed to have it at all?].

She gave a small nod to him as he said pardon. Her eyes falling to his face after her brief search. A bow and everything. It's been a while since anyone bowed to her, not that she cared. "Greetings." she said with a raised brow, as if asking him what he wanted? Trying not to be rude here. As for staring? she's used to it. Not because she's alien. Most her planets were alien in some form or another, but because she is a Prise. Not that anyone here knows that.

[hunter_marked_soul]

"I must beg your pardon for my presumption that--perhaps all of this?" And he waved a hand outward to encompass all around them. "Might be more familiar to you? Much as I agreed with coming here, to be out among the stars is like something from a novel, to me." He didn't necessarily smile, but there was something self-effacing about his expression all the same. "Also I should introduce myself, since I am presuming we are to be crew-mates. I am Nathanial."

[burnedherwings]

Honestly, she was expecting a lot more people who didn't know much about space or anything, so his assumption does not at all surprise her. His own tone was keeping light and there was no smile but there was something about his expression that, well, she didn't feel insulted in the least. People have questions. They are allowed to ask them.

"You would be correct in your assumption. I've lived most my life among the stars." Over seeing those in the keywork and planets, never interfering, until the last ten or so years. "Though I have recently been traveling planets in search of someone. This ship set up, however, is new to me."

But she tried to give a fait smile, just pulling at the corner of her lips, almost not at all there. "I am known as Ambellina, and yes, I do believe we are now crew mates."

[hunter_marked_soul]

She had lived among the stars already? Nathanial had been assuming she was an alien being from his perspective. To have it confirmed was helpful, even if it might not be much help on their ship. "This set-up is entirely new to me. All of it is far more advanced than I expected."

Not to mention the MDSOSOBs themselves. As far as Nathanial was confirmed--they were Great Ones. And yet... While they were sympathetic it seemed to humans, they were possessed of a greater understanding of how humans--or human-like sentient beings that were not kin at least--thought and operated. They did not seem hostile, nor to be the outright threat to humanity that the Great Ones he'd encountered so far were.

He'd accepted this bargain warily, but fully knowledgeable too of what he might be dealing with. At least in the abstract. "The practicalities of how to operate a ship such as this have me quite confused and out of my depth."

[burnedherwings]

She lived for far too long above it all, watching not only humans but all races row and develop. She watched as the Onstantine Priests grew in too much power and corrupted slowly. Watched wars and wanted nothing more then to step in and help. She and her sisters were not allowed though, and thus she spent far too much time in the stars and not around the people. Thus she's... still learning to People, herself.

She looked him over a moment again, taking in his words. Taking in his appearance. How much advanced was this for him? It made her wonder if others were going to have issues with advancements too. Was he from a backwater planet then? "I understand being out of ones depth. It takes time to orient yourself to a new life. My small advice? Take it one step at a time. Learn the things that will protect you or others first. That ay be as simple as figuring out how to use your Omniband, or it may be just knowing where to find first aid. Advance on to other systems once you have the simple ones down."

[hunter_marked_soul]

"I could recognize some of the basic functions of furnishings in my room, and recognized that this is clothing and a 'uniform'. The device on my wrist however--I have no reference for. It might as well be pure magic, for all that I can tell." With a hint of smile. "Any aid you could give, I'd be quite grateful."

[fourglasswalls]

"Hello, my name is Glass!" said a guy with that exact name tag, from low enough that she'd have to look down to meet his eyes. Of course, if she wanted to just watch his hand wave, he'd definitely stuck that up high enough.

[burnedherwings]

She blinked, looking down to a being waving hello to her. They introduced themselves as Glass, but she saw it on his name tag as well. A curious name. she stared for a moment, then pointed to her own tag. "Ambellina." She pronounced for him. And t hen after a moment added. "Hello." To try and be polite.

[fourglasswalls]

Yeah, lucky his name tag let him get away with the short version he used as a human name. Otherwise it'd be way weird.

"You're not the social sort, huh," Glass said, nodding knowledgeably. "That's okay. We'll work on that as we go!"

Re: Ambellina Intro:

[callsignhornet]

Shepard had been mostly mingling, introducing herself to people as they arrived and it seemed that Ambellina would be no exception. Or at least, after Shepard grabbed a glass off the reception table.

"Welcome," she greeted, eyes flicking over to Ambellina's name and assignment on the jacket. "I hope the band didn't get on your nerves too much."

A quick smile and a conspiratorial lowering of her voice ."I wasn't so lucky."

[burnedherwings]

She had been curious about who the captain of this ship was going to be, honestly. She'd been keeping her eyes open and eyeing everyone for details. There were definitely a few curious people here, but she wasn't one to talk, blue skinned, bright blond hair and strange sharp lumps on her back. At least this suit hid that more. Her suit, by the way, said she was Security for the crew. Her Hello sticker called her Ambellina.

When the being beside her spoke, her head turned to take them in, memorizing details and--ah. She caught the Captain there. "Welcome abroad as well, Captain. I assume you're as new as the rest of us are?" She asked, but then gave a small raise of her arm, glancing to the Omniband, assuming she meant this. "It was... insistent, after a while, that I make it here, and has thankfully been silent since." So even the Captain has to deal with this. Good to know.

[callsignhornet]

"New to the ship, yes. This," jangling the band for emphasis." feels like the much more annoying version of a device I had back home."

With that, Shepard extended her hand for a handshake.

"Allynbee Shepard. Nice to meet you."

[burnedherwings]

"Thankfully I have never been tied to a device such s this before. So it's new for me, though I can see the uses in it. I suppose." she said, eyeing her own device a moment. As the hand was offered she stared at it a moment in return. Claudio had done the same. What a human thing to do.

Her blue hand extended to take the others, remembering how this worked, and gave her a hand shake. "Ambellina." She s aid simply. She does not have other names, and her title would make no sense to anyone here, not that she used the Prise title anymore. She had left the sisterhood behind when she burned he wings. "It should be, well, it should be interesting working for you. Or with you. Which ever this ends up being."

[callsignhornet]

"Working with, I hope. This is a civilian outfit, so I'll try to keep the unilateral judgment calls to the really important decisions."

Shepard took a sip of her drink, noting Ambellina's lack of familiarity with handshakes - mostly as a cultural difference.

"I notice you're part of the security detail. Do you prefer operational security or something more direct?"

[burnedherwings]

"Nice to hear. Not that I am against a captain and their ship, but this doesn't seem like it's going to be very... military." Which might be for the better, for her, s she's not used to dealing with those types. Then again with the sisterhood, she was used to order and orders.

And yes, sorry for her. She's spent far too long in the heavens looking down and far too little around normal beings. And those she was around were not the types you shook hands with with out losing hand or catching something. Shake done, she returns her hands to her hips, looking out at others as they spoke.

"Security is the closest to my skills as I could find myself here. I understand the need for operational security, but I also like a direct approach more. Hand me a sword or projectile or plasma weapon and I am much more at home." A pause. Then... "Not that I need a weapon."

[callsignhornet]

Shepard hummed an agreement as she took another sip. Even with with her training, it was a little difficult to help keep her ‘self’ separated from the ‘Commander’.

“No judgment, trust me. Sometimes a situation might take any one of us out of our preferred wheelhouse - but so long as I can help it, I’ll try and keep folks where they’re comfortable.”

For a moment, she joined Ambellina in scanning the room. Certainly a motley crew, but fortunately there weren’t any particularly conflicting temperaments. Not yet at least.

“First time sailing?”