<<< Mar >>> Sweet Child of Mine | Tortuga Shipyard | Ship's Halls "Something about pinch hitters... Terran idioms still give me troubles."
Mary's response was... Nothing short of unexpected. It was also incredibly reassuring that things weren't so awkward that they couldn't push past their one-night-stand and still be friends. Mar couldn't help her smile as she chuckled, crossing both pairs of arms across her chest. But she shook her head at the offer of finding one or two Shree males for fun.
"I prefer to keep to one bed partner at a time, if you don't mind. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude." she told her, reaching over and patting her shoulder and adding, "Still, I'm glad to hear we're still cool."
The Shree took a moment to stretch and roll her shoulders before she jerked her head for Mary to follow. Then she started to make her way in the direction of the bridge.
"Come on. We've got to get this showboat on course. We have a job to do, and if something from the refit goes on the fritz or blows up, it'll be nice to have another pilot of my caliber up there to help." she teased.
With another chuckle, she strode into the bridge and promptly tugged the current pilot out of his seat before taking his place. But not before giving him a pointed look. One that clearly said that while she was on the bridge, she was going to take the helm. As she told them the first time, whenever the best is available, you use the best. Turning away, she faced the instruments and already began her own series of pre-flight checks, her fingers flying across the console before she glanced back at Walker.
"Alright, Captain. So far, everything checks out. Permission to launch?" Mar inquired.
<<< Mar >>> Sweet Child of Mine | Tortuga Shipyard | Ship's Halls "There's a first time for everything. Including apologizing for reacting badly after a first time."
In the meeting room of the Sweet Child of Mine, Mar fidgeted as she stood from the hard chair that she had claimed for her own. It wasn't unusual to see a pilot look nervous after hearing about a questionable assignment given to them by shady people. But the assignment wasn't what had the tall, four-armed Shree look distinctly uncomfortable as her four, milky-red eyes glanced out into the hall, or clench and unclench both her true- and false-hands. No, what had her fidgeting was the prospect of talking to Mary, the ex-Pirate fighter pilot on the crew.
Not but a week ago, the two had gone out for drinks and Tsi'vaan--the "Mind-Crawler" lizards that Shree ate for a recreational high as opposed to getting drunk on alcohol--while on shore-leave at Tortuga Station. And after she had thoroughly overindulged on the tiny, hexapedal reptiles and they had gotten into a bar fight at the Dead Orbit, the two had a one-night-stand. One that Mar could only vaguely remember, and had been something of a first for her. The Shree was rather casual as far as sex went, but usually only with men, and never after having twice as many Mind-Crawlers as she was normally comfortable having at any given time. She preferred to be clear-headed in bed. Meanwhile, Mary seemed to have enjoyed it thoroughly.
All of which had made things awkward between the two. She liked Mary, sure enough. The Terran cyborg and ex-Pirate was, oddly, the one person she liked the most on the crew, even with her notable prejudice against Pirates. That, and they were both the best pilots on board The Sweet Child of Mine, which gave them something in common. And, if Mar was honest with herself, it wasn't the sexual encounter that she took issue with. It was the fact that she had been under the influence and could barely remember anything after jumping the human woman.
But she heaved a sigh as she stepped out into the hall and followed Mary to what was presumably going to be a more private corner to talk in. The way she had asked to talk made Mar feel distinctly guilty. It was clear there were hurt feelings. The fact there were told her that perhaps Mary hadn't planned that one-night-stand to be just that, a one-night-stand.
Once they were in an out of the way corner, Mar raised a six-fingered, upper true-hand to keep Mary from saying anything.
"Before you say anything," she started with a quiet voice that came through her translator, "I know, I've been... Distant. And I wanted to apologize. What happened on Tortuga wasn't... I didn't plan that. And I didn't handle things afterward well either."
Mar heaved a sigh, and the smooth features on her dark-skinned face twisted in a rather pained expression as she continued, "Which isn't fair. To you. And it makes me a Terran equine's hindquarters. So I wanted to say that I'm sorry, and regardless of what happened on Tortuga Station, I still consider you to be a friend."
A moment passed before she let out a harsh bark of grunting laughter and leaned back against the hallway bulkhead, crossed both lower false-arms across her barrel chest, and shook her head. One true-hand reached up to rub at her smooth scalp, and she looked at Mary with what could only be described as a look of dry amusement.
"I go and overdo things in our little bar and club crawl, then I went ahead and made things awkward. Really, that was something of a first for me. I normally go for males." she said.
Name: Mar (Real Name unpronounceable in all but native Shree Tongue)
Gender: Female
Species: Shree
Age: 22 Terran Standard Years (Roughly 27 Shree Seasons)
Physically, the Shree are bipedal humanoids with an average height of six feet, with the average female being physically larger than most males, while males have higher muscle mass. Shree are, unusually enough, cold-blooded despite the fact that females give live birth to their young, usually with one to two young per-birth. Due to being cold-blooded, they are rarely seen without their thermal enviro-suits unless the ambient temperature is high enough.
Their most obvious physical feature is their four arms: The upper, true-arms that are generally longer with four fingers and two opposable thumbs, and the lower, false-arms which are shorter and only possess two fingers and a single thumb each. That, along with natural agility and flexibility, make them almost ideal at navigating zero-gravity environments, a fact that they often take advantage of. Their faces are flattened and consist of four narrow eyes, one set directly below the other, a pair of small nostrils, and wide mouths filled with several rows of needle-like teeth, which along with the claws that each finger and toe end with clearly marks them as having evolved from predators.
Their skin is thick but smooth, with skin tones varying from a rust-brown to a dark gray to pitch black, often with rippled variations thereof. Most physical distinctions between male and female Shree is that, while lacking breasts since they don't breastfeed, females have a larger, barrel chest to incorporate a more robust digestive system and circulatory system meant to support their pregnancies. They also have wider hips meant to give birth. Males, on the other hand, have thicker skin and generally have more vibrant skin tones in comparison, which are meant to attract a mate.
A Shree's diet consists almost entirely of meat, with very little need for vegetation to give them what nutrients they need, but they can handle a surprisingly wide variety of meat to sustain themselves. Most modern-day Shree subsist on a 'nutrient paste': Tubes of rendered-down flesh meant to give them all the vitamins and minerals they need with a 'meaty' taste. However, most find this vastly inferior to fresh meat, and whenever given the chance will gorge themselves on the real thing.
The average lifespan of a Shree is around 160 of their 'Seasons', or an equivalent 128 Standard Terran Years, with each 'Season' being equal to 1.25 Terran Years.
The Shree, widely considered to be nothing more than sapient pests by the galaxy at-large, used to be an rapidly expansionist Protectorate in their home system. They are generally best-known for stripping several planets of anything of value, or even anything that would be remotely edible to them, leaving barren husks in their wake. In fact, the Shree are usually spoken of as a cautionary tale of rampant over-consumption and over-population, with their home world being the prime example. After a harsh 'police action' on behalf of their galactic neighbors, the Shree are reduced to a fraction of their former galactic population and are restricted from settling on any habitable planet in any significant numbers, if at all by any governing body that actually values the planet that they govern over. Most have become drifters, often living on starships or orbital habitats and space stations.
When they aren't being equated to locusts, the Shree are considered a particularly industrious people, which was a large factor behind why each of the planets they laid claim to were stripped of any natural resources. However, the restrictions on any further colonization imposed by most governments have largely done away with most of their research and development ventures. Something that hasn't changed in millennia in regards to the Shree is their attitude towards any other species, intelligent or otherwise, in that they perceive them as potential prey. In fact, it's a popular rumor that Shree would be more than willing to devour a member of another sapient species should they be considered edible. Most Shree won't deny this, with threatening to turn someone into their next meal being very common against those that they are particularly displeased with. That threat is largely empty.
Shree culture is varied, particularly from habitat to habitat, though it's generally accepted that the cultures of other races have bled into Shree communities quickly over time. However, having come from a instinctively matriarchal society, when groups of Shree come together most automatically defer to the oldest and most assertive female of the group, particularly if they have had children. While the matriarch of a particular community is generally considered to be in charge, their word is hardly law, and they only have the power that the other community members give them.
The oldest form religion for them however is a sort of ancestor-worship. When a revered member of a Shree family dies, their body is given funeral rites before being skinned, and their hide turned into fine leather. Said leather is then fashioned into a garment, often a heavy leather coat. The ancient belief was that the ancestor would protect the wearer through the garment after death. While it isn't practiced very openly or very often, it isn't at all unusual for Shree to be seen wearing a coat made from an old family member over their thermal enviro-suits.
Physical Description: Mar is a fine example of a young adult Shree, tall and lithe with a surprising hourglass figure. Her skin is a dark gray rippled with black, her face narrow with milky red eyes. What is unusual is a small white birthmark just underneath her lowest left eye, almost resembling a classic Human beauty mark.
Besides the skin tight thermal enviro-suit, colored a pale Safety Orange, she usually wears her dark gray Pilot's jumpsuit, and a black domed helmet. Despite being thick and loosely-fitting, it's meant to withstand vacuum when properly sealed, though it can only hold a short emergency air-supply.
When not on-duty, she prefers to wear loose cargo pants, a heavy synthetic leather jacket with synth-fur lining, collar and cuffs, with her old Racing Shuttle's number (#66) emblazoned on the back in orange along with the image of a "Devil-Fish" (A cross between a very surly Terran Eel and Shark, colored a sinister blood red) underneath, a black simulated-wool cap and her choker-mounted translator.
Description: Mar's Pilot's Jumpsuit is a thick, baggy suit that completely covers her body and is meant to be worn for long periods of time while piloting any kind of vehicle, from mechs, ground or air transport or space-faring vessels. It is a dark gray that has faded with time, complete with gloves that allow her to use her claws without compromising the seal of the suit itself and various cargo pockets on the outer thighs and abdomen. It includes a black helmet that fully encloses the head with a domed visor that can can either be set to clear, or made to look opaque with a gold-tint. In addition, both suit and helmet include a personal emergency air supply as standard.
Technical Details: Jumpsuit Specifications: Minimal Ballistic/Energy Weapons Protection, Moderate Tear and Puncture Resistance, Fire-Retardant. Capable of sealing for vacuum with magnetic pads on both feet and all four hands, contains an Emergency Air Supply, lasting ~30 Minutes. Helmet Specifications: Moderate Ballistic Weapons Protection, Minimal Energy Weapons Protection, High Tear, Puncture, and Impact Resistance, Fire Retardant. Includes a heads-up display suite compatible with most vehicles, and capable of wireless connection to compatible vehicles within 5 Feet.
Weapons and Other Equipment: -1 ZF-1 Electron-Flux Whip or "ELF Gun" and 8 rechargable HED BattPaks, 2 are carried on her person, with 6 held in reserve on-ship.
-2 N76 10mm "Impaler" Needle Pistol and 14 magazines on her person, 8 magazines of 15 standard Flechettes, 4 magazines of 15 Armor-piercing Flechettes, and 2 magazines of 10 Anti-Synthetic Flechettes.
-1 High-Performance Racing Shuttle, "Devil-Fish" #66
-1 223-SSF "Hellbat" Fighter Craft, "Peace Lily"
-1 Slightly-malfunctioning, choker-mounted Translator, able to convert the user's speech to the native tongue of most known races, including several common Terran Dialects. Seems to have issues regarding idioms and figures of speech. (Or else it's user-error.)
-1 Refrigerator stocked with one-months-worth of TasteePaste(TM) nutrient paste for Shree.
-1 Case of toiletries and other personal hygiene items.
-Several changes of clothes including: 5 spare thermal enviro-suits, 2 spare Pilot's jumpsuits, several sets of off-duty clothes.
-Several scale starship models, including one of her Racing Shuttle.
-1 Holo-recorder, specced to make accurate recordings of full, three-dimensional objects. Can double as a video-recorder.
-1 Black Shree-Leather Coat (Great Grandmother), never worn.
Notable Skills: Ace Pilot: Mar is best known as a professional Racing Shuttle pilot, and was one of the best in the circuit. Able to pilot a shuttle through densely-populated space at speeds that most would consider to be insanely reckless and extremely dangerous, those same skills have translated to piloting larger ships with an uncanny grace, making her easily one of the best pilots in the galaxy, if a little overenthusiastic when it comes to speed.
Close-Combat Proficiency: Having spent most of her time in the tight spaces of space station corridors and starships, Mar has been trained in close quarters combat as a means of self-defense, both with and without weapons. As a Shree, Mar has a natural advantage in hand-to-hand, not only having four arms but incredibly sharp teeth and claws meant to rend thick hide and flesh. While armed, the ZF-1 makes for a perfect weapon for the confines of a ship's corridors by filling a fifteen-foot space with electrical death. However, she doesn't have the same advantages in open-spaces, needing to close the distance to truly be effective with her weapon or her hand-to-hand skills.
E.V.A. Specialist: Both extended experience in Null-G and micro-gravity environments, as well as the natural agility Shree have shown in such environments has given Mar a deft grace whenever there is little-to-no gravity to speak of. This makes her a good candidate for any out-of-ship operations, or any kind of job that requires someone to know how to move when effectively weightless.
Acquisitions: Having pulled quite a few odd jobs for shifty people, with most involving smuggling of some kind, Mar has gotten quite the list of contacts within several black- and gray-markets, meaning that chances are, if she knows what you need, she also knows how to get it as quickly and cheaply as possible, to a point.
Biography: Mar, as she is better known by anyone she isn't directly related to, was born on the AU-7 Space Habitat or "Black Ocean Station", a converted space-mining platform orbiting the planet of Supervee, as part of the enclave of Shree that calls it home. The youngest of two siblings and considered a wild child from the start, Mar was a pint-sized terror to the mixed-race population of the Black Ocean habitat, but was a surprisingly good student. Though enrolled in the station's network school, a largely online curriculum that didn't require any real contact with other kids, she went out of her way to interact with children her own age, if not her own species. She showed an aptitude for interacting rather smoothly with people from other cultures and races, being open-minded and flexible, and her best marks were in Literature, Languages and Galactic History.
Growing up, she was naturally fascinated by the ships that docked with the station, constantly trailing visiting pilots and bombarding them with questions on how they did their jobs, or for interesting stories about their travels. When she heard of the professional Shuttle Racing League that had only just begun to reach Black Ocean Station, she knew in an instant what she wanted to be once she was old enough: An Ace Pilot.
When she was finally old enough at roughly 17 Terran Years of age, she applied for her pilots license and worked to buy her first Racing Shuttle. It was roughly a month until she could buy one and enter the SRL, but within half a year, she had already won enough races and had gotten such acclaim as a new face in the racing scene that she had bought what is now her iconic "Devil-Fish" shuttle: An ugly amalgamation of several other shuttles, finely tuned for both speed and maneuverability, in or out of an atmosphere. While most would consider it to be a garishly-painted monstrosity, Mar considered it to be a beautiful example of shuttle engineering. The first championship series, she narrowly lost in the final race, coming in a close third. But the following year, she was disqualified before reaching the finals due to having modified her shuttle with thrusters that weren't fitting with the regulations of the SRL, and was ultimately banned from competing further.
At what proved to be a low point in not just her career as a pilot, but in her life as a whole, Mar drifted from station-to-station before she started hiring herself out to pilot freighters and transports, often taking jobs from less-than-upstanding people for all kind of things: Smuggling, scavenging from derelict ships, and even blockade-running. It proved to be a way for her to not only make more money than she ever had as a Shuttle Racer, but it was also a way for her to do what she loved: Fly.
After having made something of a name for herself in both the SRL, but in the galactic underworld as a whole, she was approached for a job by a mercenary group calling themselves ORION. Her interest piqued, she decided to see just what that entailed. But, not before contacting an old friend of hers, a human cyborg named Jay, who happened to be a rather accomplished ship-systems engineer and general mechanic.
Misc: -One of Mar's more infamous traits is that she is effectively the Shree-equivelent of an adrenaline junkie. She loves to go fast, the faster the better. Her penchant for flying recklessly-fast has proven to both be a help and a hindrance to some of the jobs that she has been on.
-While Black Ocean Station has a multi-species population, it was largely inhabited by humans, and as such Mar has absorbed quite a bit of human culture by osmosis, although she does seem to have trouble with idioms, sayings, and figures of speech. Although, some have noticed that said difficulty seems to be somewhat inconsistent, almost as if her mistakes are done mostly on purpose.
-Mar is incredibly possessive and protective of her shuttle, the Devil-Fish, to the point where she will only allow a scant few individuals to sit in the pilots seat, much less actually fly the shuttle. She also insists on supervising any unfamiliar engineers and mechanics that work on it. God help anyone that somehow damages the shuttle, interior or exterior.
-Mar's main hobby is building miniature ship models, specifically of ships that she has flown herself. She takes great pains to make a holo-recording of the ships in question, so that she can later paint every minute detail on the model, even adding superficial damage to match.
-While usually seen and heard using a translator module worn around her throat, Mar is actually capable of speaking several different languages without it, including Terran English.
Shuttle Model: Mantid-made Far-Flyer-786 Shuttle.
Description: The "Devil-Fish", originally a defunct Mantid-manufactured civilian shuttle, has since been repaired and heavily modified since Mar had purchased it from a shipbreaking station and is barely even recognizable as a Far-Flyer-786 anymore. Besides the more obvious modifications regarding engines and thrusters for the sake of speed and maneuverability, the entirety of the pilots seat, flight controls and console have been ripped out, encapsulated in a pod capable of being self-enclosed, and mounted back back into the main chassis into the left side, sacrificing some of the original cargo space.
The entirety of the "Devil-Fish" has been painted a bright crimson gradient that fades into a thin band of white toward the rear of the shuttle. On either side, the emblem of a Devil-Fish, a fictional creature that resembles an odd cross between a Terran Eel and a Hammerhead Shark, is emblazoned with the words "Devil-Fish #66" underneath in white, while a set of stylized teeth is painted on the front, curling around both sides.
Technical Details: Flight Capabilities and Range: Capable of flight within both vacuum and extreme-pressure atmospheres. Maximum flight-range limits to planet-to-planet flight within a single habitable system, deep-space fight is not recommended. Vessel is NOT capable of FTL flight without assistance.
Propulsion: -6 Factory-issue Precision-Guidance Thrusters for course-correction and micro-adjustments mounted at key portions of the shuttle. -4 After-market High-Output Engines, SuperBolt High-Performance brand, rear-mounted. -4 Modified High-Output Experimental Military Thrusters, taken from a Terran Grand Republic 223-SSF (Space Superiority Fighter) "Hellbat", mounted on fully-adjustable gimbals. (WARNING: MODIFICATIONS MADE ARE AGAINST SHUTTLE RACING LEAGUE REGULATIONS. VESSEL IS BARRED FROM COMPETING IN THE SRL.)
Hull and Shielding: Standard civilian-grade hull plating reinforced with an outer layer of military-rated armor plating. Shielding is an after-market Stonewall brand barrier package, Terran-made.
Cargo Space: 36 Cubic Meters (4x3x3), able to be converted into comfortable seating for 8 passengers of various size and species.
Current Internal Configuration: Cargo Area converted into living space including: 1 Refrigerated unit, 1 Secured zero-grav hammock, Several personal storage units including 1 display case for model ships, 1 Synth-leather couch and 1 Personal decontamination chamber.
Fighter Model: Terran Grand Republic 223-Space Superiority Fighter "Hellbat"
Description: The 223-SSF, or "Hellbat" as it is more colloquially known, is an experimental fast-attack, space superiority fighter developed by the Terran Grand Republic to better suit space and atmospheric combat against other fighters. Made to be as fast and maneuverable in a vacuum as possible, it was found that only the most-skilled pilots could utilize the crafts full potential, otherwise the high top-speed and ludicrous maneuverability went to waste. This, along with how expensive they were to manufacture and the fact they were specialized craft even with the ability to customize their loadout, made them rather impractical as a fully-adopted military strike craft. After extensive testing, and some preemptive manufacture, the TGR ultimately decided not to adopt them. What fighters were made were either put into storage, or otherwise sold to third parties.
The "Peace Lily" as it has been dubbed for the sake of irony, has been given a rather non-standard paint job consisting of a cream-colored base, washed-out bands of orange, and maroon depictions of the ship's namesake, peace lilies, painted on both the body and wrapping around each thruster, while at the end of each thruster is a classic racing checkerboard band in black and white.
Technical Details: Flight Capabilities and Range: Capable of flight within both vacuum and extreme-pressure atmospheres. Maximum flight-range limits to planet-to-planet flight within a single habitable system, deep-space fight is not recommended. Vessel is NOT capable of FTL flight without assistance.
Propulsion: -8 High-power Precision-Guidance Thrusters for course-correction and micro-adjustments mounted at key portions of the fighter. -1 High-Output Military-Grade Engine, mounted to the rear of the ship. -4 High-Output Experimental Military Thrusters, mounted on fully-adjustable gimbals.
Hull and Shielding: Light Military-Grade fighter armor, along with a standard Terran Grand Republic Navy fighter barrier package.
Mounting Hardpoints and Current Configuration: The "Peace Lily" is equipped with 6 hardpoints with which to mount weapons or other kinds of specialized equipment. It is currently configured with: 2 close-range Vengeance anti-fighter pulse lasers, 2 Shrike anti-ship missile pods with a 6 missile capacity each, an ECM Jammer, and an Enhanced Active-Sensor Array.
Discription: The ZF-1 Electron-Flux Whip, or the ELF Gun as it was termed after coming out of experimental stages is a weapon developed by the Shree Protectorate's military R&D laboratories for the purpose of a short-range riot-suppression and personal defense weapon, several Terran Standard Years before the eventual police action against their entire race. Knowing that there were situations when a non-lethal option is preferable, but could immediately be followed by a need for lethal force or vice-versa, the Shree decided to create an electrical-discharge weapon meant to either stun or lethally electrocute a target depending on the Voltage/Amperage setting. It works by ionizing a target with a non-visible laser by which a steady stream of electricity uses to travel to the unfortunate victim.
By appearance, the ZF-1 appears to have the main body of a bullpup-style rifle with the cylindrical battery-pack plugged horizontally into the butt of the gun, just behind the grip and firing stud. But while the rear of the weapon appears to be a simple rifle, the front of the weapon is dominated by a single long, pronged discharge rod with a foregrip several inches beneath. The entirety is painted a stark white with orange warning stripes, and clear symbols meant to indicate an electrical hazard as-per most government's Health and Safety regulations.
After the Shree's imposed exile to spaceborne habitats, the rights and schematics for the ZF-1 were sold to various independent security companies for manufacture in an attempt to gain some capitol for their relocation. Civilians are permitted to own a ZF-1 for personal defense use in most systems provided they have a license, although some governments restrict the ZF-1 to non-lethal settings only. Pilots tend to find the ZF-1 to be a surprisingly effective ship-defense weapon against pirates and other hostile boarders, since it can fry energy shielding and unarmored organics alike with minimal collateral damage to any delicate circuitry within their ships. However, these same qualities make it an attractive option for pirates who look to capture ships as a prize, while eliminating any that are on-board.
Technical Details: Firing Mode: Continuous electrical discharge, with variable settings that range from Non-Lethal Stun to Guaranteed-Lethal Electrocution (Dubbed the "Extra Crispy" setting).
Ammunition: Rechargeable High Energy-Density Battery Packs (HED BattPaks), capable of allowing continuous fire for ~45 minutes at lowest setting, or ~10 at "Extra-Crispy".
Range: Very Short, ~15 Feet at Maximum.
Effective Use: Used for target subduing/capture/elimination in close quarters. Effective against shields, organic flesh, cyborgs and synthetics without electrical shielding.
Weapon Type: Raav Personal Defense Solutions Model N76 10mm Flechette Pistol
Discription: Originally developed by Raav Personal Defense Solutions, a now-defunct Shree armaments company, the N76 Pistol or "Impaler" is a handy (by Shree standards) sidearm that was originally developed for both the Shree Protectorate Armed Forces, as well as for civilian personal defense. Making use of magnetic-accelerator rails, the "Impaler" fires standard 10mm Flechettes at high velocity and with great effectiveness. Usually issued as a backup sidearm it saw limited use in the Protectorate Marine Corps and Navy, as well as the Planetary Defense Forces, and was generally well-received by both military and civilian alike. It is reliable, deadly, reasonably easy to maintain for a rail-pistol, and versatile, taking a variety of different ammunition types without any loss of effectiveness.
Ammunition: 10-15 Flechette capacity magazines with integral battery packs, loaded with either standard Flechettes, Armor-Piercing, Anti-Synthetic, or Poisoned (Illegal in most civilized sectors of space).
Range: Short-Medium Effective Range, Maximum of ~1000 Yards.
Effective Use: Used for lethal personal-defense at close to medium range, with standard Flechettes being effective against unarmored and lightly armored organic targets, with specialized Flechettes being effective against medium armor or synthetic targets.
