Tortoise

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

@Zanavy
No worries!

She was obviously just in total awe of Vei's holiness and couldn't say a word

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Vei only stayed silent while the Prize crew said their piece. But when they were all finished, she stood up to her full height, and Nick couldn't help but be a little impressed with how her robes folded around her.

"Very well," she said, after studying their eyes for a long time, "I believe you mean what you say. But I do not believe you are true. The truth is not in you." She pauses, as if this is something significant. "If we accept ISA's friendship, you will want to send more diplomats. More ships. And that means more traffic through the wormhole. More explorers. Trade. More aliens." She makes that growl-snort again. "And then soon our culture is gone, lost amidst the dozens of ISA. I won't let that happen. You are not welcome on Havi. Leave. Do not come back."

-----

The journey back to the Prize was solemn. Aside from calling back the ones who were on the scouting mission, Nick hardly said a word to his crewmates. There was nothing to say. There was no way to spin this mission as a success. With Vei's refusal, the system was essentially off-limits for ISA. And since Vei's system has the wormhole in it, there would be no way to explore this side of the wormhole without violating her territory every time ISA sent a ship through. So the Prize would be recalled, their mission ended, and Nick would almost certainly lose his command. It was the worst day of his life.

Soon the Prize was floating in orbit over the planet, apparently named Havi, and preparing to break away back for the wormhole. Briefing the scouting team on Vei and her command had been difficult, but Nick muddled through it. The Bridge Crew kept glancing at him out of the corners of their eyes. They knew something was wrong, but what was he going to say? There's nothing in the ISA handbook about how to deal with the shameful silence of a failed mission.

But maybe he won't have to. "We're receiving a hail," the Comms Officer perks up, "from a Havi ship. Audio only." Nick gives the order to accept, and the voice that comes through the Prize's bridge sounds absolutely terrified.

"Travelers," the male voice coughed out. "You must help me. I am injured and pursued. I need medical attention."

A cursory scan showed that the hailing ship was very different from the massive vessel that escorted the Prize to Havi. It was unarmed, light, and cramped. And coming in fast. Nick hesitated for a moment, then ordered the alien onboard the shuttle to be transported to the Prize's medical bay immediately.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Just a heads up, y'all, I'm going to be moving the plot forwards Sunday.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

@Eviledd1984@Raylah
Raylah is right. You're out scouting in the forest/jungles of the planet. Vei is with the diplomatic delegation (the folks who I tagged at the top of that post)

Pariah

Finished:

Jason Zhao

Name | Jason Zhao
Alias | Recall
Age | 28
Gender | M
Appearance | Average height and build- about 5'9, typical weight. No identifying marks or tattoos.
Notoriety | Unknown
Danger Level/Variant Type | Class 2 Mentalist

Abilities | Memory Control:
Jason can erase memories. With some effort, he can also alter existing memories, bring forgotten memories to the surface, or even implant false ones. To stay anonymous, and away from NOVA, Zhao has developed a habit of making sure that nobody he meets can ever completely remember what he looked like. At this point, he does it almost without thinking.

---

Attire | Making people forget you is easier if you are, in fact, forgettable. Jason dresses to match his environment: suits in the business districts, t-shirts for the middle class. He doesn't bother with masks, uniforms or other cliche "superhero" wear.

Armament/Equipment | None.

---

Affiliation | Pariah Underground

Personality/Habits | Friendly, in a quiet way. Jason tends to get along with others, but he's out of the habit of making friends. He tends to look just a little unfocused in conversations.

Occupation/Trade |
Former criminal. Currently an underground, unlicensed "hypnotherapist." That's what he calls it, anyway.

Really, Jason is hired to work on his client's mind telepathically. He once helped the victim of an assault to remember what the perpetrator looked like. Another time, he ended the vivid flashbacks of a veteran with PTSD. But most of his patients come from the Pariah Underground. A lot of folks in that circle have things in their past they would rather forget. Very odd jobs, but Jason Zhao is the only person who can do them. His clients, of course, can never remember exactly what he looks like.

Skills/Talents |
In a world of computers and cameras, staying anonymous takes more than just a convenient power set. A retired vigilante in the Pariah Underground taught Jason to hack into security systems, plus the basics of martial self-defense. Jason always had the feeling his mentor was trying to groom him to follow in his footsteps as a vigilante. The poor old man must have been disappointed.

Family |
Too many. A grandmother, a father, a mother and 3 sisters- all crammed into one little apartment.

Background |
Unlike the brochures would tell you, New Haven isn't a perfect place. Zhao was born into the dark underbelly of this city. The Shanty district looks bad even to visitors, but it's worse for the folks that live there. A visitor can't see the mold in the apartments. Or the sick homeless men sleeping in the dumpsters. Zhao was there his whole childhood, and he saw it all.

That's why his powers meant so much to him. Some people would have been disappointed. When his power came in at 15, he didn't get super-speed, or flight, or laser vision. All Zhao could do is make people forget him. But if you're clever, and you're desperate, that's enough.

He got involved in a local gang. Not one of the fancy new powered groups, like the Syndicate, but just an old-fashioned guns-and-knives gang. They loved Jason's powers as much as he did, because he could make their victims forget who mugged them. Once, he even made a whole convenience store full of witnesses forget a robbery. That one really impressed the guys at the top, and then Zhao was making enough money to take care of his whole family. He learned to choke down the lingering guilt. If it weren't for him, he would tell himself, his grandma would have lost the apartment.

Things went on that way for years. It wasn't until he was about 18 that life started to shift. With Jason's help, the gang had gotten big enough to catch the attention of NOVA. The MADmen aren't stupid, and they had figured out that a "mentalist" Variant must be behind the convenient amnesia of every possible witness.

A MADman joined the gang undercover, and when he had learned that Jason was the Variant at work, he attempted an arrest. Maybe he figured that Jason's powers weren't a threat. Maybe he just thought he was too young to try anything. But either way, the MADman wasn't ready for what happened.

He had never needed to push his powers very far. But when the agent tried for an arrest, Jason panicked, and lashed out telepathically with all his strength. He only meant to make the man forget who the Variant was, but instead, he made the man forget... well, everything. It was like a wildfire. After Jason started it, he couldn't stop it anymore than the MAD agent could. He could feel every thought, feeling and experience fading away. And then the MADman collapsed, and Jason ran.

After that, he separated himself from his old gang. They're probably the only people around, besides his family, who still know his real face and name. Since then, Jason got involved with Pariah Underground. He learned from them how to stay anonymous. The event with the agent had shaken him, and he was afraid of being caught again. He doesn't think the MAD agent ever had a chance to report him officially, so he shouldn't be listed as Wanted yet. And if things go well, he never will be.

He visits his family just enough to keep them from worrying about him. Outside of them, almost all of his contact with people is limited to the Pariahs and his "hypnotherapy" clients.

Pariah (superhero RP)

Mostly done, I just need to find a photo and fill out his appearance

Jason Zhao

(insert photo here)

Name | Jason Zhao
Alias | Recall
Age | 28
Gender | M
Appearance |
Notoriety | Unknown
Danger Level/Variant Type | Class 2 Mentalist

Abilities | Memory Control:
Jason can erase memories. With some effort, he can also alter existing memories, bring forgotten memories to the surface, or even implant false ones. To stay anonymous, and away from NOVA, Zhao has developed a habit of making sure that nobody he meets can ever completely remember what he looked like. At this point, he does it almost without thinking.

---

Attire | Making people forget you is easier if you are, in fact, forgettable. Jason dresses to match his environment: suits in the business districts, t-shirts for the middle class. He doesn't bother with masks, uniforms or other cliche "superhero" wear.

Armament/Equipment |None.

---

Affiliation | Pariah Underground

Personality/Habits | Friendly, in a quiet way. Jason tends to get along with others, but he's out of the habit of making friends. He tends to look just a little unfocused in conversations.

Occupation/Trade |
Former criminal. Currently an underground, unlicensed "hypno-therapist." That's what he calls it, anyway.

Really, Jason is hired to work on his client's mind telepathically. He once helped the victim of a mugging to remember what the perpetrator looked like. Another time, he ended the vivid flashbacks of a veteran with PTSD. But most of his patients come from the Pariah Underground. A lot of folks in that circle have things in their past they would rather forget. Very odd jobs, but Jason Zhao is the only person who can do them. His clients, of course, can never remember exactly what he looks like.

Skills/Talents |
In a world of computers and cameras, staying anonymous takes more than just a convenient power set. A retired vigilante in the Pariah Underground taught Jason to break into security systems, plus the basics of martial self-defense. Jason always had the feeling his mentor was trying to groom him to follow in his footsteps as a vigilante. The poor old man must have been disappointed.

Family |
Too many. A grandmother, a father, a mother and 3 sisters- all crammed into one little apartment.

Background |
Unlike the brochures would tell you, New Haven isn't a perfect place. Zhao was born into the dark underbelly of this city. The Shanty district looks bad even to visitors, but it's worse for the folks that live there. A visitor can't see the mold in the apartments. Or the sick homeless men sleeping in the dumpsters. Zhao was there his whole childhood, and he saw it all.

That's why his powers meant so much to him. Some people would have been disappointed. When his power came in at 15, he didn't get super-speed, or flight, or laser vision. All Zhao could do is make people forget him. But if you're clever, and you're desperate, that's enough.

He got involved in a local gang. Not one of the fancy new powered groups, like the Syndicate, but just an old-fashioned guns-and-knives gang. They loved Jason's powers as much as he did, because he could make their victims forget who mugged them. Once, he even made a whole convenience store full of witnesses forget a robbery. That one really impressed the guys at the top, and then Zhao was making enough money to take care of his whole family. He learned to choke down the lingering guilt. If it weren't for him, he would tell himself, his grandma would have lost the apartment.

Things went on that way for years. It wasn't until he was about 20 that life started to shift. With Jason's help, the gang had gotten big enough to catch the attention of NOVA. The MADmen aren't stupid, and they had figured out that a "mentalist" Variant must be behind the convenient amnesia of every possible witness.

A MADman joined the gang undercover, and when he had learned that Jason was the Variant at work, he attempted an arrest. Maybe he figured that Jason's powers weren't a threat. Maybe he just thought he was too young to try anything. But either way, the MADman wasn't ready for what happened.

He had never needed to push his powers very far. But when the agent tried for an arrest, Jason panicked, and lashed out telepathically with all his strength. He only meant to make the man forget who the Variant was, but instead, he made the man forget... well, everything. It was like a wildfire. After Jason started it, he couldn't stop it anymore than the MAD agent could. He could feel every thought, feeling and experience fading away. And then the agent collapsed, and Jason ran.

After that, he separated himself from his old gang. They're probably the only people around, besides his family, who still know his real face and name. Since then, Jason got involved with Pariah Underground. He learned from them how to stay anonymous. The event with the agent had shaken him, and he was afraid of being caught again. He doesn't think the MAD agent ever had a chance to report him officially, so he shouldn't be listed as Wanted yet. And if things go well, he never will be.

He visits his family just enough to keep them from worrying about him. Outside of them, almost all of his contact with people is limited to the Pariahs and his "hypnotherapy" clients.

Pariah (superhero RP)

Interested. I could probably have a CS ready in a few hours. I'm thinking of a mentalist with memory-related abilities.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

(Addressing the Delegation Team: @IceHeart @Starlance @Zanavy @Xandrya)

Vei remained impassive while Francesca explained. Only after she was finished, and no one else immediately added anything, did the alien speak: "...You came here only to explore?" An odd sound came out of her nostrils, something like a snort. Or a growl. "I don't believe you. You are lying. No nation in our history- our yours- has ever explored only for the sake of it. They explore to find new land to conquer." Each word is blunt and unapologetic, but spoken very slowly. And still Nick has that creeping suspicion of something odd in her speech.

Then it clicks. Our history- our yours. How could Vei possibly know the history of humanity? And that slow speech- she's not using a translator. She's speaking English. Self-taught English, from the sound of it. This isn't foresight, or holy magic. Vei has somehow learned the languages and history of ISA, before the Prize ever came through the wormhole.

"Excuse me, Holy Vei," Nick begins, "but how do you know the history of our people?"

Vei smiled. "I am the Holy One. I know many things." She shakes her head, exactly as a human would. Is that natural, or has she learned human body language too? "I am the one asking the questions. You are the ones answering."

Nick glanced to his crewmates, quickly, for support.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

@MST3K 4ever
No problem. I've been busy this last week too

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

@Eviledd1984
It wasn't a dumb idea, I just don't use it personally. We already have OOC and PMs for sharing ideas.