Into the Night

Modly folks, if I'm doing something wrong please let me know.

(Note: This quest is loosely based on the universe of From the Ashes, an SD played elsewhere. To improve my personal writing capability and to further refine the setting, I'm going to run this on SV to get fresh and different input from different people. Reading A Sword Without a Hilt here for two years has inspired me to run this, if we're going to be honest. For those of you familiar with FTA, this is in a fairly close parallel universe.)

In Into the Night, players will take control of a multi-mission Expeditionary Cruiser, a powerful and capable ship that's frankly overbuilt compared to more conventional warships. That utility is needed as these ships are assigned to special missions far more intricate than simple planetary defense or customs patrols. Play will involve players guiding their captain and ship through missions, making decisions to advance the cause of the Commonwealth as best they can. Missions can range from survey work to tracking particularly annoying pirates to diplomatic meetings with other states, human or alien, and as a trusted captain of Expeditionary Command you'll have some choice over which missions your ship is assigned to.

The year is 2452.
Humanity escaped the bounds of first Earth, and later the Solar System, exploring the neighborhood around Sol. One system became half a dozen became approximately a hundred, centered on half a dozen or so so-called "Jewel Worlds" that were easily adapted to human settlement. Earth and her colonies were in a golden age.
So of course when the wheels came off, they really came off. To this day nobody is sure if Cablefall-the separation of the Quito Space Elevator cable from its base asteroid-was the actual result of terrorism or some sort of horrific freak accident. What we do know was that the result was what's now known as The Collapse. The economic and ecological damage of Cablefall ripped the band-aid off of a century or more of grudges, resentments, and inequalities and resulted in a nine-way nuclear exchange between most of the major powers.
Humanity survived...granted, a population of some twenty billion in 2237 was counted at a little under nine some twenty years later-but we were resilient and, now, far too spread out to really wipe out. Marginal colonies perished, certainly, but major settlements-especially those on the Jewel worlds, places like Terranova and Prospect and Elysium-quickly transformed themselves from dependent colonies to independent nations. There was no other choice, as Cablefall and the Collapse created a Kessler Cascade in Earth orbit that cut off the homeworld from the rest of humanity. It would be cleared eventually, and most of the damage from the Collapse repaired, but Earth would never again be the undisputed center of human civilization.
That was nearly two hundred years ago, and nations old and new have continued the dance of the ages. The successor states in the colonies, later joined by the rebuilding Earth states-some had maintained political continuity, others picked themselves up from the ashes-rebuilt and soon began to explore. After not too long, we discovered we weren't alone-and that we were far from unique with our self-destructive tendencies. Humanity has come into contact with a number of non-human races, ranging from the godlike zani-zigulur to several pre-technological races, scattered across the Orion Arm. About two dozen are roughly equivalent to the Human Grid, the network of colonies humanity inhabits that are mostly connected by jumpgate scattered over a few hundred light years of space. Relations range from warm and friendly to implacably hostile and many of those species are no more politically unified than humanity. The whole Orion Arm, and indeed several adjoining regions of the Milky Way, are connected by what humans call the Hypergrid, the legacy of the last galactic scale civilization to inhabit this region of the galaxy. The Open Palm Federation was in many ways a laudable utopia. Unfortunately it fell forty thousand years ago and nobody's managed to make galactic civilization stick since then.
Among the Human Grid, the Golden Commonwealth is one of the leading states, one of a handful of so-called "Great Powers". It is somewhat unique in that it is not explicitly a human only state. The Commonwealth has been more successful than most in recovering the lost technology of the Open Palm Federation, and in the process has made friends along the way. Humans do still make up a plurality of the Commonwealth's total population and are heavily represented in the Navy especially. They are joined by sondrak, apectids, caiveh, chelonians, iase, and a few others, hailing from small independent asteroid settlements that joined the Commonwealth for protection to the natives of Apex, an industrial age world contacted by the Commonwealth a few decades ago and carefully bootstrapped into the 25th century.
You are a captain in the Golden Commonwealth's Expeditionary Command. The elite of the elite, the Expeditionary Command are the Commonwealth's first-in exploration experts, the firemen, the diplomats, and the scientists. They are, to crib from another universe, Starfleet. And you're one of the best of that elite crew, with a Soyuz class Expeditionary Cruiser that just completed a refit cycle and has now been re-equipped with the cutting edge of available technology. Which just means you get the hardest, most difficult jobs in the universe. But which Captain are you, exactly?

[] Captain Nasir al-Kurabi of the Challenger
The "old man" of the Expeditionary Corps, Captain al-Kurabi was one of the first pure expeditionary captains in Commonwealth service and after nearly three decades they haven't managed to pry him out of the command chair. Given he's skippered the Challenger that entire time and the list of missions he's accomplished, Command is willing to let things slide.
Special Trait: Veteran (gives a saving reroll in dangerous situations)

[] Captain Valerie Morris of the Trailblazer
The Trailblazer seems to find its fair share of scraps, ranging from sondrak pirates on the Hypergrid to freebooters out of Golgotha to both the Tau Ceti and New Gettysburg anomalies. Captain Morris is, as a result, a more experienced combat commander than most line captains, and knows how to get the most out of her ship and crew.
Special Trait: Combat Commander (Gives a bonus to combat dilemmas)

[] Captain Michael Holland of the Voyager
Years of leading survey work in wrecked OPF depots and pushing charting new systems has left Captain Holland even more of an expert on planetary science and alien technology than his counterparts, and has also allowed the good Captain to pick up a PhD in astrophysics from Gotham University and another PhD in computer programming from the Hellas Sea Institute of Technology via distance learning.
Special Trait: Scientist (Gives a bonus to science and technology based dilemmas)

[] Captain Mila Hargrave of the Discovery
By far the youngest skipper to command a Soyuz class ship, Captain Hargrave has acted as a Commonwealth Navy liaison to several diplomatic missions in the Caiveh Extents and to a number of independent worlds on the Hypergrid. This experience in diplomatic matters gives her a base of expertise that allows her to feel confident as she learns the finer points of being an Expeditionary Command skipper.
Special Trait: Diplomat (Gives a bonus to diplomacy related dilemmas)

Once you've selected a captain, we'll have a few votes rounding out your bridge crew and customizing your ship and be off on our first mission. I hope this generates some interest!

The voters have chosen and selected Senior Captain Nasir al-Kurabi of the GCS Challenger.


Captain Nasir al-Kurabi:

Personal Information:
Born March 17th, 2387, New Kirkuk, Armstrong Federation, Terranova
Family: Parents (both alive), 1 sibling (see MSgt Ibrahim al-Kurabi); Single, no children
Assigned Captain of GCS Challenger: June 19th 2426

Awards, Medals & Citations: Distinguished Service Cross, Lifeguard Medal w/2 Bars, First Contact Medal w/3 Bars, Gold Star for actions in the Galacteon War, Purple Heart; National Defense Service Medal, Anti-Piracy Service Medal ('The Wilberforce') w/Bar, Hypergrid Operations Medal, Exploration Command Service Medal, Longevity Service Ribbon w/40 Year Stripe; Deep Operations Campaign Medal, Battle of Prospect Medal, Silk Road Operations Medal, Apex Operations Medal, Galacteon War Operations Medal w/Tau Ceti & La Jain Stripes, Dahaki War Operations Medal

Challenger Unit Awards Under Command: Commonwealth Citation, Award for Merit w/2 Bars, Expeditionary Command Superior Unit Award w/Five Bars, Expeditionary Ribbon, Platinum Bar

Bio: No captain in Commonwealth service has logged more hours in command of an exploration vessel than Nasir al-Kurabi. With forty five years of service under his belt, over half of them in command of the Challenger, al-Kurabi is arguably the most experienced explorer on the Grid.

al-Kurabi is a man with a fairly easy smile and a dry wit, well-tempered and patient, traits that serve him equally well on delicate missions of diplomacy, in the heat of combat, or when training new crew. He keeps his salt and pepper hair trimmed short, keeping a neat beard most of the time. In his time in command of the Challenger, the ship has gone through two major refits, engaged in three of humanity's First Contacts, surveyed twenty two star systems and conducted dozens of diplomatic, patrol, and show-the-flag missions, as well as participating in rescue operations after the Elysian Holocaust and during the Galacteon and Dahaki War. Off-duty, al-Kurabi enjoys brain teasers and puzzle boxes and keeps tropical fish in his wardroom. One of his prized possessions is a collection of physical brain-teaser puzzles collected from the civilizations he's encountered across the Orion Arm, including two recovered from the ruins of the Open Palm Federation.

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Now, the vote. In order to keep things moving briskly, we've got two distinct votes going on here. The first is selecting which of your veteran crew (which will confer bonuses) you've managed to keep and the second is the race of your new XO. The XOs all have some hidden effects you won't know off the bat but will have mostly narrative value. We'll let this vote go for a day or so and then move onto the final fitting out of the Challenger.

Your time in refit has significantly upgraded your ship's systems, including improvements to its FTL, sensors, and secondary systems. However, Command has made sure your crew weren't idle, and the needs of the service have forced you to give up a number of senior officers for other commands. You were, however, able to prevent other captains from poaching two of your senior officers. They are (select two):

[] Commander Gessica Hoedemaeker: Engineering & Second Officer. One of the most experienced hands in the care and feeding of a Soyuz class cruiser, the Commander knows the inside of the reactor room like the back of her hand and is a steady interface between the engineering and science teams to boot.
Effect: Additional tactical FTL options available, Ship speed increased by 1

[] Lieutenant Commander Thomas Naismith: Weapons Systems officer and command track material, Naismith is a bit of a stick in the mud but an excellent weapons systems officer, synergizing science division systems that are not normally meant for combat operations into his targeting suite to give the ship an extra edge.
Effect: Bonus to ship weapons checks

[] Lieutenant Commander Monika "Gameshow" DaCosta: A woman whose temper doesn't match her slight stature, Gameshow is one of the better fighter pilots you've seen in your career and the commander of your ship's squadron of F/A-92 Warhawk multi-role fighters. Her tattoos and frequently dyed hair aren't the hallmark of traditional military discipline, but not only is she a fighter jock but Expeditionary Command cares more about results than appearance.
Effect: Significant bonus to your ship's fighter squadron

[] Lieutenant Kidan Benyam: Benyam is as cool and confident at the helm as she is in a bar fight. A native of Kumari Kandam who doesn't take her homeland's pacifistic stance too seriously, she controls an expeditionary cruiser with the precision of a surgeon.
Effect: Bonus to ship piloting checks

[] Lieutenant Jyn'Tsk: Ginny to her friends, one of the growing number of chelonians have have emigrated from the Protectorate and its long confrontation with the TKK Imperium. Young for a chelonian, friendly, and open minded, Ginny has settled in as your ship's Operations officer, responsible for overseeing damage control, communications, and secondary ship systems.
Effect: Bonus to ship damage checks & bonus to diplomatic rolls when dealing with Protectorate forces.

[] Master Sergeant Andrej Roland: Your ship has what's termed a "First In" team of marine specialists trained to assist civilians in the rough and tumble of ruined alien city or in delicate diplomatic negotiations. A somewhat reinforced platoon, it is in fact normally headed up by a Marine Lieutentant who isn't completely wet behind the ears. In practice, it's Master Sergeant Roland's unit and the man's four decades of service has led him to see all sorts of things.
Effect: Bonus to any checks involving the marines or groundside operations.

[] Science Team Head Dr. Gina Torres: An expert in xenoarcheology and adapting OPF tech to modern human needs, Dr. Torres also has an easy time interfacing between the military men and women who crew your ship and the mostly civilian science teams that give it its primary mission.
Effect: Bonus when working with OPF relics and technology

[] State Department Attache Madhava Parsamyan: One of the Commonwealth's most experienced diplomats, Parsamyan was assigned to your ship a few years ago to handle negotiations with Trimson Trys and somehow stuck around. Over a century old, and with a resume stretching back to the Hemisphere War on Elysium, he is as adept negotiating a trade treaty with an iase caravan as navigating the still-troubled waters between the Earth states.
Effect: Bonus on all diplomacy related dilemmas.

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As part of this turnover, you're also in a position where you have to select a new First Officer, your previous one now the skipper of the Aurora. Various government elements are pushing hard for greater non-human representation in the upper ranks of Expeditionary Command and Admiral Grant is being pretty insistent. On the other hand, the candidates all have the chops to cut it on your ship-further integrating the non-human citizens of the Commonwealth is important, yes, but nobody wants to put a ship like yours in pointless jeopardy either. She is, at least, letting you pick which one out of the options you want.

[] Commander Trr'gilag: Chelonian. Actually an exchange officer and not a citizen like Ginny, Trr'gilag is a veteran officer of the Long War between the Protectorate and the Imperium. With peace finally broken out after the Christmas Miracle, the Protectorate has begun to step back from simply surviving and wants to restore the long defunct Protectorate Exploration Service. It needs experienced captains and officers to make that happen, and the Commonwealth has offered a number of exchange slots in order to help.

[] Commander Liah Bin-Tran: Apectid. One of the first generation of apectids who came to adulthood in the post-Contact era, she was one of the first of her people offered a slot at the Academy once she'd demonstrated the natural technical expertise. Fifteen years later, she's matured into a model officer and a symbol for all citizens of the Coordinate as they join the greater Commonwealth. Her time among humans has made her a little more independent and less conforming than the Matriarchs back home would like, though.

[] Commander Turanj Pho: Sondrak. Normally most sondrak who enter the Commonwealth Armed Forces join the Marines or Army, their size, strength, and natural regenerative abilities are a tremendous asset. Pho always went against the grain, and has risen fairly quickly through the ranks after graduating from the Academy with honors. His unconventional view of the universe makes him a good potential fit for an exploration vessel, but he may be destined to eventually return to the regular navy and take command of a battlecruiser.

[] Commander Stalks-With-Cunning: Caiveh. She's the spitting image of a caiveh warrior, fierce claws and predator instincts, the caiveh thought themselves masters of all they survey. Unfortunately, they ran into the Imperium and lost their homeworld, with the Commonwealth's caiveh population descended from formerly nomadic clans who've taken the offer to settle down on the colony world of Penzance. A member of the Void Hunter Clan, Stalks-With-Cunning is a rare caiveh who didn't find herself jumping at the chance to become a fighter pilot. Unlike many of her fellows, she recognizes that the image of the caiveh in glorious hand-to-hand combat is undermined both by the misfortunes her species has suffered over the last few thousand years and by the fact that the average caiveh warrior stands barely a meter and a half tall and doesn't break fifty kilos, and is more than willing to use her wit and cunning without resorting to screaming and leaping.

To summarize, vote for two crew and one XO. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves and I'll answer what questions I can without giving away the gig.